Red Canyon Fire Update August 14, 2013 At 6:00 AM today the Rocky Mountain Area Incident Management Team A , Shane Del Grosso Incident Commander, accepted management of the Red Canyon Fire. An Incident Command Post has been established at the Carbondale Middle School; fire information staff are located at the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District station. The Red Canyon Fire is located approximately 3 miles south – southeast of Glenwood Springs, CO. The fire is burning in mixed pinyon-juniper forest with islands of sage at lower elevations, on both Bureau of Land Management and private lands. Active fire behavior has been associated with wind gusts related to passing thunderstorms. These afternoon storm events are a primary concern for fire movement and fire-fighter safety . The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though lightning strikes were noted in the area prior to the start of the fire on August 12. The fire now encompasses approximately 350 acres. More accurate mapping of the fire will become available with the use of thermal imagery to map hot spots and the fire perimeter. Resources on the fire include two Type II hand crews of 20 persons each, additional hand crews are currently en route to the fire. Local area fire engines are helping operations today with 20 engines ordered to assist managing the fire. Air support on the fire today consists of two air attack planes used for reconnaissance, two single engine air tankers (SEATs), one Type III light helicopter, one medium Type II helicopter, and one large air tanker. Operations for today will emphasize identifying areas of new fire line construction and reinforcing and extending fire lines constructed by local fire agencies. To ensure public and fire-fighter safety , County Road 115 will remain closed from Highway 82 to County Road 119. The Rocky Mountain Area Incident Management Team A would like to extend their sincere appreciation to local fire agencies and their staff for the exceptional effort extended during the initial attack on the Red Canyon Fire and their continued support. Additional information is available at inciweb.nwcg.gov/, the Rocky Mountain Team A twitter feed @RM_InciTeamA, or at the Garfield County website at garfield-county. All media should report to or direct enquiries to Red Canyon Fire Information located within the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District Station, 300 Meadowood Drive, Carbondale, CO. Contacts are listed above.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 22:38:33 +0000