The Dry Canyon fire south of the Salter Y area near Dolores showed minimal growth since Tuesday. It remained at an estimated 22 acres Wednesday evening, according to Dolores District Ranger Nick Mustoe of the San Juan National Forest.
Cool overnight temperatures helped keep the fire, which started Tuesday from spreading.
Firefighters continue to build containment lines around the fire and have made good progress, Mustoe said. Help is coming from the San Juan Interagency Hotshots, Durango Interagency Dispatch Center, a task force from Grizzly Peak and additional personnel from Moab.
A helicopter is conducting bucket drops with water from McPhee Reservoir to cool hotspots. Mustoe said he did not have an update on the fire’s containment status, which was at 0% as of Tuesday evening.
“We know it doesn’t have direct roads in that physical area, but I haven’t heard of it crossing our containment line today,” Mustoe said. “It’s basically still where it was yesterday, but we are getting progress done.”
No structures are threatened, no injuries have been reported, and there are no road or trail closures in the area.
While heavy rainfall later this week is likely to aid in fire suppression by increasing humidity and adding moisture to the ground and vegetation, winds ahead of the storm could temporarily hinder firefighting efforts.
Mustoe said priorities for crews Wednesday and Thursday include building more containment lines and positioning for incoming rain to aid suppression efforts.
He asked the public to avoid recreational drone flights near the fire, saying drones can put the pilots at risk, ground the helicopter and hinder suppression work.
