Fire burning west of Gunnison

Cooler weather and terrain keeping it contained

A fire burning about 17 miles west of Gunnison is causing smoke to drift onto Highway 50. Lightning started the East Coal Creek Fire on Friday, August 10 on lands in the West Elk Wilderness, where 144 acres are burning.

According to information put out by Gunnison County, fire managers flew over the fire on Tuesday afternoon and confirmed that the fire had burned into the burn area from the West Elk Fire of 2008. According to the statement, “The cooler weather, combined with the fire burning into an area that has already been impacted by fire, resulted in less fire activity throughout the day.”
Forest Service spokesperson Chris Barth confirmed that as of Tuesday, the fire is not very active. “It burned Sunday into some natural features as well as the 2008 West Elk Fire, and after that it’s not been showing a lot of activity. There was also some rain over the fire yesterday and today,” Barth said.
Barth said one a helicopter and its crew as well as some overhead staff are currently on the fire. Whereas the crew initially planned on full suppression, the recent changes in the fire’s behavior is leading them to be cautious.
“Because the fire is in a fairly contained area and not threatening to move, they’re being so cautious about getting folks in there,” Barth said.
The fire continues to burn in heavy forest litter, but there are no threats to life or property at this time. Fire managers planned to focus on securing the fire perimeter on Wednesday, but smoke is expected over the next several days and will likely vary with weather conditions and fuel load within the fire’s perimeter.
According to Scott Morrill, emergency manager for Gunnison County, the smoke in Crested Butte is not from the East Coal Creek Fire. “The Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and the weather service are all telling me it’s probably fires in Idaho and Nevada, and the way the jet stream is and the weather pattern are pushing it down,” he said.