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Two wildfires in western Colorado are contained

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Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 7:49 PM
The Bull Draw Fire northwest of Nucla is now 100 percent contained.

The 36,520-acre Bull Draw Fire, which started July 29 from a lightning strike, is now 100 percent contained after receiving more than 5 inches of precipitation from recent storms, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

It is unlikely to grow further, Forest Service spokeswoman Kimberlee J. Phillips said Friday in a news release.

“Forest Service firefighters have finished strengthening and securing all containment lines around the Bull Draw Fire and have been demobilized from the incident,” Phillips said. “Yesterday, the Bull Draw Fire was officially declared contained, and no further suppression action is expected be taken in the area.”

The Forest Service advised hunters and other recreational users to be wary of fire hazards such as weakened trees that could suddenly fall and ash pits that are smoldering among roots.

Recent rains have also saturated the soils, increasing the potential for flash floods or landslides with future storms.

The Forest Service also announced that the Lake Christine Fire near Basalt also is fully contained. The fire destroyed three homes and scorched nearly 20 square miles after starting at a shooting range in Basalt on July 3.

Containment had been sitting at above 90 percent since August as the fire burned in inaccessible areas on the back of Basalt Mountain.

Two people were charged with fourth-degree arson after allegedly firing incendiary tracer rounds at the shooting range, igniting the fire.

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