The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Quick action contains 5.5 acre fire within a couple hours
by Mark Reaman
A quick response by firefighters helped stop a potential spreading wildfire near Almont last Sunday. A lightning strike east of the town just over the ridge from the Almont Post Office started a wildfire about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 26.
Two rock climbers saw the strike and called it in to 9-1-1. Several other people saw the major smoke in the area and alerted officials. The US Forest Service, Gunnison County Fire Protection District and Taylor River volunteer fire department sprang into action and called in a firefighting helicopter staged at the Gunnison Airport to help use water drops to contain the wildfire.
“The prepositioning of resources from the Gold Mountain and Elk fires located nearby helped us with the quick response,” explained Gunnison County Fire Protection District chief Hugo Ferchau. “There were helicopters sitting at the airport. There is also a priority to knock down new fire starts and we were ready when this one started.”
Ferchau said the US Forest Service strategically distributes resources around the country where it is determined there could be fire danger risk. These so-called “severity resource teams” are staged in areas like Colorado’s Western Slope and this summer, Gunnison County.
“The first team on the scene of Sunday’s incident was actually a crew from North Dakota, and we were right behind them followed by the Taylor Canyon department,” said Ferchau. “We have four of our guys and an engine participating with the Forest Service, so they were on scene as well. It is a great partnership.”
The fire department closed the Taylor Canyon Road between the Almont Post Office and Jack’s Cabin Cutoff near Harmel’s. Officials at one point considered enacting evacuations for those living and camping in that area, but as the water was dropped and firefighters on the ground got to the scene via side-by-side, it was determined the evacuation notice wasn’t needed as the fire was doused within about two hours.
Ferchau said the Taylor Canyon fire ended up being about five-and-a-half acres in size and was mostly grass and sagebrush.
“Honestly, this type of fire has happened several times in the last couple months,” he said. “This particular fire got more attention given its location and proximity to Almont and the highway. A lot of people saw it. The resources we have here really come in handy.”
At the peak, the Elk Fire had approximately 500 personnel assigned to the fire while there were even more fighting the Gold Mountain Fire. There were six to eight types of helicopters stationed at the Gunnison Airport. The priority of the Forest Service is to knock down small fires before they blow up into a major wildfires. With the nearby resources available this summer, the professional firefighters are able to consistently do that in and around Gunnison County — and the fire near Almont was one such example. Great work!
