LA PLATA COUNTY - A wildfire that broke out Friday morning in southwest Colorado has grown by another 1,000 acres, but no homes or structures have been lost.
The 416 Fire is burning about 10 miles north of Durango in the San Juan National Forest, and grew to 4.015 acres by Wednesday morning with 10 percent containment, according to a news release.
The nearly 600 firefighters battling the fire are dealing with hot, dry weather that is expected to increase fire activity over the coming days.
On Wednesday, their efforts will focus on patrolling and monitoring the area along the Highway 550 corridor and building defensible spaces around structures in and around Hermosa.
Helicopters will be on standby to perform water drops over hot spots as needed.
Wood chippers are also being used to remove piles of vegetation that could pose a threat to nearby buildings.
Fire spokesman Neal Kephart said the fire on Monday burned down to Highway 550, but firefighters have so far prevented the fire from crossing the road by aggressively attacking any spot fires that start on the other.
U.S. Highway 550 will be open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. again Wednesday, however, traffic will be restricted to one lane with all traffic being escorted by law enforcement.
CDOT recommends these alternate routes between Ridgway and Durango:
- CO 62 Ridgway to Placerville
- CO 145 Placerville to Dolores
- CO 184 Dolores to Mancos
- US 160 Mancos to Durango
So far, over 825 homes have evacuated, and another 1,000 are being told they may need to leave soon.
There will be a community meeting Wednesday night at the Silverton Middle School gym starting at 6:00 pm.
Community meetings were held Tuesday evening in Hermosa and Durango to answer residents’ questions. Please visit the 416 Fire Facebook page or call the information line at 970385-8700.
An evacuation center is open at Escalante Middle School at 141 Baker Ln in Durango. It will now have 24-hour shelter capacity with arrangements for food and showers.
Livestock can be evacuated to the La Plata County Fairgrounds at 2500 Main Avenue. The emergency call center at (970) 385-8700 can help coordinate pick-up of livestock. Small animals are being accepted at the La Plata County Humane Society, 1111 South Camino del Rio, Durango (970) 259-2847.
Haviland Lake & Chris Park Campgrounds are closed because they are in the mandatory evacuation area. If you have reservations you should call Rocky Mountain Recreation at 1-800-416-6992 about refunding or transferring your reservation.
The Discover Goodwill of Durango, 1230 Escalante Drive, is now accepting clothes and household donations. Financial donations can be made by calling the Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado at (970) 375-5807, in the name of the Community Emergency Relief Fund.
To receive emergency notifications, including evacuation and pre-evacuation notices, on your cell phone or via email, click or tap here.
