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Sylvan Fire contained as of May 29

Sky-Hi News staff

The Sylvan Fire that was burning in the national forest south of Hot Sulphur Springs was fully contained as of Tuesday morning, May 29.

The cause of the fire was traced to a days-old lightning strike.

Firefighters had pulled back from the fire last Thursday due to dangerous, muddy road conditions in the wake of a storm that left four to five inches of snow in the area, said U.S. Forest Service public affairs specialist Reid Armstrong.



About half-dozen Grand County-based Forest Service firefighters were battling the wildfire, which was 7.5 miles south of Hot Sulphur Springs. The fire was burning sporadically on about one acre in an area of predominantly dead timber.

The fire first was reported at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 22. Armstrong said personnel on the ground traced the fire to a tree that was struck by lightning. The most recent recorded lightning strikes in the area had occurred on May 18, she said.



The fire was called the Sylvan Fire because of its proximity to Sylvan Reservoir, near the junction of the Muddy Creek and Timber Creek roads. The area is east of County Road 34, which intersects County Road 3 near Williams Fork Reservoir.

Firefighters from Hot Sulphur Springs and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management were involved in the initial response to the blaze.


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