Firefighting crews were busy containing a small wildfire on Ophir Pass, south of Telluride, Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning and plan to extinguish it within the next three days.
The first wildfire effort of the summer season started just before 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, when Telluride Fire Protection District firefighters and San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the scene of the 50-by-100-foot fire on U.S. Forest Service land.
While the wildfire was only ⅓ mile from the town of Ophir, the Sheriff’s Office reported there were no threats to structures or people as it was burning away from the town.
The Division of Fire Prevention and Control dispatched a helicopter from Montrose, and the fire was “under control but not technically contained” by 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and required overnight work, the Sheriff’s Office shared.
“Resources will stay through the night and containment efforts and mop up will resume (on Wednesday) morning. There continues to be NO threat to structures in Ophir,” the sheriff’s office posted at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Crews worked on a “few remaining ‘hot spots’” Wednesday morning, and the fire was fully “contained” by 1 p.m. The sheriff’s office explained the wildfire will be fully “out” in the next two or three days.
“The area will continue to be monitored until the fire is declared to be out,” according to an update Wednesday.
The Ophir Pass wildfire this week follows a trio of lightning strikes throughout the Telluride area Friday afternoon during the 50th Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The strikes resulted in the festivities in Telluride Town Park being delayed twice and a temporary shutdown of the free gondola system between that runs between the towns of Mountain Village of Telluride after it had been struck. A tailings pile and Telluride residence were also struck, but none of the strikes needed firefighting assistance.
Also on Wednesday, the San Juan National Forest Dolores Ranger District began the Boggy Draw Prescribed Fire Project.
“Over 70 firefighters will be supporting (Wednesday’s) 1,400-acre operation, as well as a helicopter and drone,” according to the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch.
The three-day prescribed burn will cover a total of 2,470 acres.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
