A rapidly moving wildfire is burning out of control on the west side of Sleeping Ute Mountain.
Fire crews from BLM, Forest Service and Mesa Verde National Park have joined BIA crews to help fight the fire, officials report.
Two Single Engine Air Craft (SEAT) have been flown in and are dropping fire retardant on the blaze. By 8 p.m. they had dropped seven loads of slurry 75-100 feet above the fire.
The Cortez Fire Department is the ground crew for the SEAT planes at the Cortez Airport.
“We’ve filling up two planes multiple times,” said Cortez Fire Chief Jeff Vandevoorde. “Each plane holds 700 gallons of retardant.”
The planes will continue to make drops until nightfall, and then will be grounded until morning.
Officials and pilots estimate the fire is 300 to 400 acres, burning in rugged, heavily forested terrain. It is zero percent contained, and multiple fire crews are arriving on scene.
“At this point, we have firefighters assessing the fire,” said Lymon Clayton, acting superintendent for Bureau of Indian Affairs in Towaoc. “Other fire agencies are in route.”
Officials said that a portion of federal fire resources are out of the area fighting fires in California and Oregon, but they’re also at the scene.
The fire is approaching the ridge of Ute Mountain and is some distance from a repeater station and cluster of antennas. No residents are threatened, and there are no evacuations at this time, Clayton said.
Montezuma County sheriff Steve Nowlin also said “no homes or structures are in danger.”
The fire is generating a large plume of smoke that can be seen from Bayfield.
There is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for Friday, mainly after noon. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain.
Fire officials suspect lightning caused the fire because it began two-thirds up the mountain, on the western flank of Hermano Peak, also known as “The Knees” area of Sleeping Ute Mountain.
The lightning strike may have happened earlier this week and smoldered until winds flared it up this afternoon. Tall grasses from recent wet weather may have helped fuel the fire.
A communications center on Ute Mountain has not been affected. The station includes television antennas, a radio antenna, and a communications repeater.
The scene in Towaoc
Ashes were falling in Towaoc late Thursday afternoon. White smoke had also blanketed the town and surrounding valley.
Headquartered in Towaoc, Bureau of Indian Affairs acting supervisor Lyman Clayton said the origin and cause of the blaze remained unknown.
“We haven’t had much rain or lightning in the last couple of days, but a lightning strike could have smoldered for several days,” Clayton said.
Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart urged residents to remain calm, adding that no evacuation notice had been ordered as of 6 p.m. on Thursday.
“I haven’t received a full report,” said Heart. “It’s still too early to comment.”
Anticipating initial reports from fire crews, Heart said he wanted a fuel assessment from the ground, the exact size of the blaze and a smoke forecast.
“My biggest concern is the acreage,” said Heart.
Heart added that tribal officials were calling all area and state agencies to assist.
“We will try to get all of the resources that we can,” said Heart.
Clayton advised that evacuations were unlikely unless the wildfire spread down to McElmo Canyon or jumped the ridge and moved toward Towaoc.
Clayton said two BIA fire officers were dispatched to the west side of Sleeping Ute Mountain about 1:30 p.m. Crews initially tried to control the blaze with a slurry, he said.
“A short team has been ordered,” said Clayton. “They should be in place tonight.”
The last major fire in the Towaoc area occurred in 1989, and bordered Mesa Verde National Park east of U.S. 491.