Firefighters were able to directly engage the edge of the Black Mountain Fire in several locations on Wednesday.

The fire burning 8 miles northeast of Kremmling remains at 416 acres as of Thursday with 0% containment. The fire broke out Sunday. Its cause is under investigation.

The area had received a quarter-inch of rain as of Thursday morning, which moderated fire activity. The precipitation was expected to continue slowing fire behavior throughout the day. However, access to the fire may be limited due to muddy roads.

According to the most recent fire update, the Black Mesa “hot shot” crew put out hot spots and cold-trailed along the western edge of the fire, where there was minimal fire activity.

Cold trailing is a method of controlling an inactive fire edge by carefully inspecting and feeling for heat by hand, digging out every live hot spot and trenching any live edge. Other crews were able to begin digging a fireline along the southeastern edge of the fire.

Firefighters planned to “go direct” Thursday and build on Wednesday’s progress establishing firelines. A heavy equipment crew will start a dozer line near the southeast edge of the fire while aerial operations continue to support firefighters, as needed, with water or retardant drops from helicopters.

Two zones in rural Grand County near Parshall remain in pre-evacuation status, K11 and HSS21A. Closures on Bureau of Land Management and National Forest lands remain in place.

All of Grand County including public lands is in Stage 1 fire restrictions, meaning dispersed fires are not allowed.