Minor growth of Williams Fork Fire allows crews to focus on control lines Friday | SkyHiNews.com
YOUR AD HERE »

Minor growth of Williams Fork Fire allows crews to focus on control lines Friday

News News |

Amy Golden
  

Show CaptionsHide Captions

The Williams Fork Fire grew by less than 200 acres Friday thanks to a second day of favorable weather.

Containment remains at 3% with the fire burning on 10,437 acres. In a Friday evening update, Deputy Operations Chief Mike Johnston said that activity has been similar to the last couple days.

“The good news is we got some rain (Thursday) night,” Johnston said. “More than we were thinking that we got. It’s keeping fire activity pretty minimal today.”

Johnston said the fire was “skunking,” meaning it was moving very slowly throughout the day. This was in large part because of the rain that fell, totaling 3/10 inch near the southwest of the fire.

Williams Fork Fire Info

“It doesn’t put the fire out, but it does slow it down for a day or two,” Johnston said of the rain.

The slow movement of the fire meant crews could focus on control lines. Fire crews were able to make additional progress on containment lines on the west and southwest portions of the fire.

Crews used a combination of bulldozer line and hand line through the tough, marshy terrain between Kinney Creek and Darling Creek north of the Williams Fork River. These efforts included clearing vegetation to stop the progress of the fire and eventually creating a secure containment line.

To the east of the fire, crews are working around the Experimental Forest to secure a control line. While the rugged terrain of the Continental Divide will help slow progress of the fire if it moves that direction, there are a few “gaps” Johnston described that crews are working to contain.

The team is also exploring areas to the north to improve the fire line where there are not mountains.

Going into the weekend, a drying trend with higher temperatures and low humidity is expected with winds out of the north and northwest. Crews are expecting additional resources and personnel as they coordinate with the other firefighting teams in Colorado.

There are still no evacuation orders for residential areas in the Fraser Valley.

Environment
See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.