Two fires spotted this past Thursday near Pagosa Springs continue to burn this week in the San Juan National Forest, but are not threatening any buildings.
The Mill Creek 2 Fire, burning 10 miles northeast of town, is in remote terrain near the Quart Ridge Fire, which started in early August. The 117-acre blaze had a “really intense run” over the weekend, said San Juan National Forest spokeswoman Lorena Williams.
Since the weekend, the fire hit a rock outcropping and ran out of fuel. Williams said the fire has since grown slowly an acre or two at a time.
“It really hasn’t found anywhere to go,” she said.
There are no firefighters actively engaged on the ground near the Mill Creek 2 burn.
The cause is still under investigation and the forest hopes to have someone on the ground to determine the cause by Wednesday.
The Trail Springs Fire, burning west of Pagosa Springs, was caused by a lighting strike, investigators determined. Tree that started the blaze smoldered for several days.
As of midday Tuesday, the fire had grown to 720 acres, up from 500 acres Monday.
Both blazes are 0% contained.
There are 95 people working on the Trail Springs Fire, many of whom are building indirect containment lines to the north and east. The burn is located just 3 miles northwest of the Chris Mountain Fire, which was reported June 28.
Aircraft are also involved in the suppression of the Trail Springs Fire, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to enact Temporary Flight Restrictions over the area.
“Late fire seasons like this don’t happen very often on the San Juan National Forest, but that's not to say that they're unheard of,” Williams said. “ … Fall fire seasons are less common but not entirely out of the ordinary because we have laves falling off the trees (and) things are drying out.”
Updates on the status of the fires can be found on the Inciweb pages or on the SJNF social media platforms.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
