Fires continue to grow in Southwest Colorado
The Gold Mountain Fire has grown to over 31,000 acres but was 7% contained as of yesterday at 7 p.m. An update posted yesterday stated that “Firefighters continue to protect housing and critical infrastructure throughout the incident area. Crews are preparing and protecting structures, improving defensible space, and implementing protective measures along the Highway 550 corridor between Ouray and Ridgway, as well as around the Silver Jack Reservoir, including Bear Claw and Silver Jack settlements.” The fire is most active near the north and northwest fire perimeter. Additional fire growth is expected along the eastern edge of the fire, where some spot fires continue to retreat downhill to the West Fork of the Cimarron Basin as the fire moves across steep and densely wooded terrain. Most of the fire is burning within the Uncompahgre Wilderness Area, where a fire hasn't burned in more than 50 years. Dense deadwood, extremely dry vegetation, prolonged drought, below-average precipitation, and historically low snowpack continue to create conditions that favor active fire behavior.
And the Aspen Acres Fire is now burning almost 94,000 acres, but officials say that firefighters are making important headway, with containment now at 16%. The Ferris Fire in Dolores County is at about 57,000 acres with 19% containment.
Fires fueled by drought conditions
Drought conditions persist throughout the Mountain West, fueling the wildfires currently burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado and Utah.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the entire KVNF listening area is in drought, ranging from severe to exceptional in different parts.
Forecasts currently show a high-pressure system that could bring record-breaking heat to the western part of the country in the next week to 10 days.
After that, monsoon rains are predicted to begin in the latter half of the month.
Seth Arens, a hydrologist with the Western Water Assessment, says that rain likely won't refill empty reservoirs. But he also stated that "it does help mitigate some of these short-term impacts, maybe improves forage for cattle grazing and wildlife, but some of the longer-term impacts really are going to rely on what happens next winter with precipitation and winter snowpacks."
Even though an El Niño pattern correlates with a wetter winter in the Rocky Mountains, it also usually means higher temperatures, which Arens says could lessen the amount of water stored in the snowpack.
Man requests emergency assistance for broken leg, then declines assistance and hikes away
The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office has shared a frustrating Search and Rescue effort spurred by a man who claimed to have broken his leg. But after rescuers arrived, he declined assistance and hiked away on his own two feet.
The Sheriff's Office stated that on Monday, deputy sheriffs and members of San Miguel County Search and Rescue responded to a Garmin SOS activation from an injured individual in the Columbine Basin, approximately six miles southeast above Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride. The SOS was activated by a 31-year-old man from Grand Junction, who reported via the SOS that he fell over 150 feet and believed he broke his leg. Motorcycles and UTVs transported rescuers to the area, where they hiked another mile and a half carrying rescue equipment to reach the man. A helicopter was also deployed and landed at an established landing zone. When Search and Rescue arrived, however, the man was walking around. He told rescuers that he was BASE jumping off a cliff when his chute failed to deploy. He then declined helicopter transport, stated he no longer wanted assistance from Search and Rescue, and hiked away on foot with a friend.
In a statement about the incident, the Sheriff's Office stated that the man "has previously required extensive Search and Rescue resources and assistance. According to published media reports, he was injured during a BASE jumping accident in the Swiss Alps about 10 years ago and was stranded for 13 hours during a rescue involving nearly two dozen rescuers and three helicopters. Those reports stated that his $161 insurance policy covered the approximately $175,000 cost of his air evacuation."
Sheriff Covault stated that the man "chose to participate in an extremely dangerous activity alone, and particularly given his prior rescue history, his actions demonstrated a disregard for the risks involved and the resources required to rescue him. His decisions unnecessarily diverted emergency resources, including a Care Flight helicopter, that may have been needed for other emergencies. The fact that he was able to hike back down shows a profound lack of respect for the tremendous effort and resources devoted to this rescue." Sheriff Covault also thanked the deputies and San Miguel County Search and Rescue personnel and volunteers.
Keeping the spirit of Independence Day alive in Lake City
Like many communities across Colorado, the tiny town of Lake City canceled its Independence Day fireworks display due to fire danger, but one local man kept another tradition going. For KVNF, Laura Palmisano takes us to downtown Lake City on the nation's 250th birthday.
