HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS, Colo. — A cold front brought cooler temperatures and snow to Grand County on Tuesday reducing fire activity at the Williams Fork Fire.
The fire has burned 12,157 acres and remains 10% contained, as of Thursday, Sept. 10.
Fire officials said Thursday that minimal fire behavior has continued due to cooler and wetter conditions and the probability of fire growth is low through the coming weekend.
Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke occasionally in the weeks ahead. Firefighters will continue patrolling and monitoring fire activity for the coming weeks.
The Type 2 Rocky Mountain Blue Team will transfer command of the fire to a Type 3 organization at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10.
“We want to thank the local communities for showing their appreciation to our team. It has been great to come to an area with such support for what we do. We also want to thank the cooperating agencies and partners for their coordinated efforts during this incident,” said Incident Commander Michael Haydon on Thursday.
No evacuations or pre-evacuations are currently in place, however Grand County residents and guests are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED at gcemergency.com
The cause of the fire which is burning on the Sulphur Ranger District is under investigation and tips are being sought from the public.
Anyone who was in the Williams Fork area the night of Aug. 13 or the morning of Aug. 14 and has photos of the area where the fire started is asked to email them to SM.FS.usfsarp@usda.gov. Those without photos but who have information to share can call 307-745-2392 and select option 5. Callers are asked to leave their name and call back number so law enforcement can contact them for follow up.
Due to statewide dry and drought conditions and significant fires burning across the state, Gov. Jared Polis has enacted a statewide ban on open burning. Stage 2 fire restrictions were in effect in Grand County.
A forest area closure remains in effect for public and firefighter safety as fire operations continue in the area, fire officials said. The Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest continues to monitor the fire and will adjust the area closure when it is safe to do so.
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