Middle Fork Fire Fact Sheet 9/24/2020
Acres: 6,760
Incident Commander: Scott Carey, Type 3 IMT
Fire Information: 970-724-3027
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7153/
Today’s Situation: Warmer, drier conditions and strong winds are expected to move through the fire area today and tomorrow, with red flag warning issued from noon today through Friday evening. Fire activity is expected to increase during windy conditions, especially during late afternoon hours. Crews are closely monitoring fire activity, with helicopters on standby for action when needed. Given the heavy fuels and hazardous conditions for firefighters where the fire is located, incident managers are looking out ahead of the fire for natural features that can be used to hold its advance, while protecting values at risk. Crews are clearing along trails as potential indirect holding opportunities and planning for structure protection. Firefighters’ objective is to fully contain the Middle Fork Fire, while maintaining public and firefighter safety as the highest priority.
Weather: Mostly sunny with highs in the low 70s. Relative humidity dropping to 14 - 19%. Southwest winds 7 - 12 mph, gusting to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Fire Behavior: High winds today and Friday are expected to increase fire behavior on the northwest and south sides of the fire, where there is heat from recent fire activity remains. The Incident Management Team expects this full suppression fire to burn until a persistent seasonal change of weather arrives.
Firefighting Resources: Approximately 104 personnel are assigned to the fire, including four helicopters (two Type 1 and two Type 3) and a fixed-wing air attack to help coordinate aerial operations.
Evacuations: There are no evacuation or pre-evacuation orders in effect. If the fire were to reach any pre-identified management action points, it would trigger Routt County Sheriff’s Office to initiate pre-evacuation orders through their reverse-911 system. To sign up for alerts, visit http://routtcountyalerts.com. The county provides tips for wildfire preparedness, including planning for pets and livestock, on their website at http://www.co.routt.co.us/309/Fire-Safety-Tips-for-Rural-Residents.
Forest Closure: Routt National Forest has issued an area closure. The closure boundary follows Mount Zirkel Wilderness boundary on east. On the south it follows Trail 1132 (Newcomb Creek), Trail 1101 (CDNST), the Wilderness boundary, and Trails 1100 (Swamp Park), 1140 (Saddle), 1140.1A (Saddle Cut-off), and 1171 (Red Dirt). On the west it follows the boundary between National Forest and private lands east of Big Creek from Red Dirt Trailhead to Trail 1176 (Roaring Fork) and continues north along the Wilderness boundary. On the north it follows the North Fork Drainage up to The Dome, east to Lost Ranger Peak, CDNST, and Trail 1131 (Lost Ranger). Trails 1131, 1132, 1166, and 1140 are open. Portion of Trails 1100 and 1171 are open where they follow the closure boundary, closed where they enter the closed area. No roads or trailheads are closed.
Closed trails include:
- Appx. 10 miles of CDNST from 1132 to 1131
- 1130 Rainbow Lake
- 1179 Roxy Ann Lake
- 1099 Ditch Creek
- 1100 and 1100.4A Swamp Park (within Wilderness Area only)
- 1118 Elk Park
- 1168 Luna Lake
- 1168.1 Fish Hawk Lake
- 1170 Chilton
- 1182 Crags
- 1184 Big Creek Lake
- 1171 Red Dirt past Trail 1140 intersection
Fire Restrictions: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect in Routt and Jackson counties, on all of the Routt National Forest, and across much of Northwest Colorado.
Fire Information: Information for the Middle Fork Fire in the Routt National Forest, north of Steamboat Springs, can be found on Twitter, @FS_MBRTB and InciWeb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7153/.