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Wildfire near Hot Sulphur Springs traced to lightning strike

Sky-Hi News staff
Grand County, CO Colorado
Smoke rises from the Sylvan Fire on Tuesday evening. U.S. Forest Service fire crews are working the fire, located approximately eight miles south of Hot Sulphur Springs. Byers Peak is seen in the background. Byron Hetzler/Sky-Hi News
Byron Hetzler/Sky-Hi News | Sky-Hi News

The Sylvan Fire south of Hot Sulphur Springs was still contained to one acre as of late Wednesday, and the cause of the fire was traced to a days-old lightning strike.

About half dozen Grand County-based U.S. Forest Service firefighters were battling the wildfire, which is 7.5 miles south of Hot Sulphur Springs.

The helicopter based out of Fort Collins that was called to fight the fire on Wednesday never made it the site because of high winds on the Front Range, said Forest Service public affairs specialist Reid Armstrong. The fire is burning sporadically in an area with a high proportion of dead timber, she added.



The fire was first 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 occurred on May 18, she said..



The fire is being referred to as 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 leaves 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 fire.


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