A blaze called the East Round Top Fire ignited and engulfed 5 acres of northeast Southern Ute Indian Reservation land on Saturday, prompting a response from several area agencies.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Ute Agency Fire Management, Los Piños Fire Protection District, Fort Lewis Mesa and Durango fire crews countered the blaze. They requested air support in the form of a Type 2 helicopter, a two-seater plane and a large tanker, according to a news release from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
“Smoke is visible from the CO Hwy 550 corridor,” the release says. “Smoke will be visible to the local communities.
Air quality status can be checked at https://bit.ly/3onHdR1.
The cause of the East Round Top Fire is still under investigation, the release says.
“The Tribe is coordinating with local agencies to ensure the safety of the public and to minimize the impact of the fire,” it says. “The Tribe is also working with oil and gas operators in the area to shut-in facilities in the vicinity of the fire in an effort to mitigate any potential impact from those operators to first responder’s ability to contain the fire.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
