Firefighters will focus their efforts today on building and reinforcing firelines in an effort to keep the Gold Mountain Fire from spreading south toward Ouray and west toward U.S. Highway 550.
A total of 210 firefighters are working the fire, which has burned 8,277 acres and is 0% contained, according to an update posted this morning by the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3. The federal team assumed management of the fire Monday evening.
Fire officials say crews reinforced firelines around Lake Lenore and County Road 14A Monday night. The blaze remained active in several areas throughout the night before quieting down around midnight.
Firefighters are scouting potential areas north of the fire to construct lines to protect homes, properties, transmission lines and other resources and keep the fire from spreading.
“As the fire progresses to the north, it will move into steep canyons that would compromise the ability for firefighters to engage directly,” fire officials said.
Fire crews will face a familiar foe again today: High winds and low humidity. A red flag warning is in effect from noon to 9 p.m. The forecast calls for winds from the southeast at 8-12 mph until mid-morning, then transitioning to the southwest and increasing to 14-18 mph, with gusts 25-35 mph.
“Fuels are very dry, with a high potential for ignition,” fire officials wrote in this morning’s update. “These conditions will result in moderate to extreme fire behavior throughout the course of the day.”
The current forecast calls for no precipitation through the weekend.
A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at Ridgway Elementary School, 1115 W. Clinton St. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the Gold Mountain Fire Facebook page on Wednesday.
