The Deer Creek fire that started near Old La Sal July 10 grew to 14,760 acres on Tuesday, July 15 and remained at 7% containment. Resources on the fire include six helicopters, 23 engines, six crews, five dozers and 415 personnel, according to InciWeb.
Eleven private structures, a U.S. Forest Service guard station and a communication site have been damaged or destroyed, most that occurred earlier. InciWeb said damage estimates are ongoing and San Juan County continues with its assessments.
Tuesday evening, crews, engines and dozers moved into Colorado “due to an increase in fire activity and strong westerly winds that pushed the fire approximately two miles over the Utah-Colorado border to the T2 Road.”
InciWeb said engines are staged along Colorado Highway 90 and in Paradox, Colorado and “are ready to respond to any fire activity.”
The weather continues to be problematic. “Difficult weather conditions are forecast to continue over the next several days with afternoon thunderstorms possible, producing erratic outflow winds with gusts up to 60 mph,” according to InciWeb. “Dozers and crews will continue constructing containment line to protect structures at risk. Unless winds become too strong, aircraft will be used in conjunction with hand crews and heavy equipment, focusing on the north and east where the fire is most active.”
Since it started, air tankers and helicopters have dropped almost 300,000 gallons of fire regardant on the surrounding area, focusing on private property and the highways 46 and 90 corridor, according to InciWeb.
Residents of Colorado’s Montrose County can register for emergency alerts by signing up through Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, https://montrosecountysheriffsoffice.com/montrose-alerts/.
“Smoke increased significantly throughout the Colorado Plateau due to the multiple fires burning in Utah and Colorado,” reads the statement. Indeed, the Moab Valley was filled with smoke Tuesday afternoon as fires burn to the north and south. The Diamond Canyon Fire northeast of Thompson Springs off Interstate 70 began Tuesday.
For specifics on smoke and air quality in your area, visit AirNow.gov. Anyone sensitive to smoke exposure should limit time outdoors and consult with your doctor, as necessary.
Evacuations: San Juan County issued a map with new evacuation zones clarifying the affected geographic areas. Additional information can be found on the San Juan County Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/SanJuanUtah. Current evacuation orders remain in place. The San Juan County Sheriff, in coordination with CIMT 4, will lift evacuations when it is safe for residents to re-enter the area. Sign up for emergency alerts through the county, https://sanjuancountyut.gov/emergency-management/page/san-juan-alerts.
Closures: For the safety of firefighters and the public, the Manti-La Sal National Forest has enacted an area closure. See the map and description at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/manti-lasal/alerts/deer-creek-wildfire-closure-area-roads-and-trails-moab-ranger-district. County roads within the San Juan County evacuation area are closed to public traffic. Anyone traveling along the Highway 46 / 90 corridor near the Utah-Colorado border should check current road conditions for information about any possible closures and be aware of changing conditions. Fire managers are asking the public to avoid the area of the old airport landing strip in Spanish Valley so that the helicopters and crews staged there can safely operate.
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