
The 416 Fire was measured at 54,129 acres Friday morning and is 45% percent contained. There are 383
firefighters assigned to the fire.
Due to the potential for rainfall to trigger flooding
and debris flow in some areas in and adjacent to the 416 Fire over the coming
days, a pre-evacuation order has been issued for 317 residences along County
Roads 203 and 205.
This includes Falls Creek Ranch
and High Meadows subdivisions, Durango Regency, the Sanctuary, Hermosa Circle,
and residences in the Tripp Creek area.
Weather forecasts indicate
that storms between Friday and Tuesday could produce rainfall sufficient to
trigger flooding and debris flow, and the National Weather Service has issued a
Flash Flood Watch through 9 p.m. Friday.
These events could be
intensified in areas in and around the 416 Fire burn area, where soils may be
unable to absorb water at normal rates. These conditions can lead to more rapid
runoff of water and materials during the storms forecast this week and those
over the coming months and years.
The fire was reported at
10:02 a.m. Friday, June 1 about 10 miles north of Durango on the west side of
U.S. Highway 550.
The
primary goal for the 416 Fire management is to safeguard lives and property in
affected areas.
The La Plata County Board
of County Commissioners enacted Stage 3 fire restrictions Tuesday, June 12. In addition to maintaining previous restrictions, Stage 3
will add the following additional closures/restrictions/ prohibitions:
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The
closure of all La Plata County owned trails,
encampments, open space, and unimproved lands.
-
Those
agricultural producers exempt from fire bans pursuant to C.R.S. §§
30-15-401(n.5)(III) and 35-28-104(11) may perform agricultural burning only
with 48 hours prior notification to the appropriate fire chief or the Sheriff.
-
Indoor fire
places and wood-burning stoves without an approved interior and exterior
chimney spark arrestor.
-
The sale, discharge or use of any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic
device (including 4th of July celebrations).
-
The use of floating sky lanterns, fire balloons or acetylene balloons.
-
Discharge of firearms or the use of exploding targets, unless under the
circumstances described in C.R.S. § 30-15-302.
-
Blasting in development areas or construction areas.
-
The use of
an explosive, blasting caps, or any other incendiary device, including the use
of any model rockets.
-
Flaring for oil and gas production wells.
-
Operation of coal-fired steam engines.
Certain exemptions apply to
these prohibitions. They include:
-
Any federal, state or local
officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the
performance of an official duty.
-
Flaring at centralized
processing and compressing facilities is permitted so long as all conditions
and requirements issued by applicable regulators are satisfied;
-
Emergency repair of public
utilities.
-
Fires permitted by the Sheriff
or local Fire Chiefs within their jurisdiction, if, in their professional
opinions, such action is appropriate, safe and prudent.
County
Manager Joanne Spina proclaimed a state of local disaster in the unincorporated
areas of La Plata County, pursuant to her authority as chief executive officer
of La Plata County. Spina’s proclamation is due to the 416 Fire, ongoing
exceptional drought conditions, and the potential for additional wildfires in
the 2018 fire season. The La Plata
County Board of County Commissioners extended this proclamation of the state of
local disaster for an additional 60 days on Tuesday, June 5.
The
effect of this declaration is to activate the response and recovery aspects of
any and all applicable local and inter-jurisdictional disaster emergency plans
and to authorize the furnishing of aid and assistance under those plans.
This winter, snowfall in the
Animas River basin was less than 40% of average, and this week, Southwest
Colorado's snowpack is just 3% of historic average. We have been experiencing above-average
temperatures, hot dry winds with low humidity and very little rain this
spring. As of May 29, the weather
station at the Durango-La Plata County Airport had recorded 1.41 inches of
precipitation in 2018, nearly 4 inches below the historic average for that time
period.
In April, these factors
prompted La Plata County to be classified in “exceptional drought” conditions –
the most intense of five drought levels.
These drought conditions have persisted and the fuels (grass, brush and
trees) in La Plata County are extremely dry and can produce explosive fire
growth and behavior.
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emergency notifications, including evacuation and pre-evacuation notices, on
your cell phone or via email: bit.ly/CodeRed_signup.
Please follow @416fire and @LaPlataCounty
on Facebook or @LaPlataCountyCO on Twitter for continual updates.