Williams Fork Fire at 3% containment; Wednesday’s growth not too threatening
Courtesy Amy Noraka
5:30 p.m. Wednesday: The Williams Fork Fire exhibited some growth on Wednesday with an afternoon storm mostly pushing flames in directions away from structures and high value assets.
During a Wednesday briefing, fire officials said most of the growth had occurred along the fire’s southern front, where there are few or no high value assets immediately threatened. As of Wednesday morning, the fire covered 6,726 acres.
They said progress has been made fortifying the Henderson Mill mine, and electricity flowing through power lines south of the Williams Fork Fire has been rerouted. Some nearby mountains should help contain the blaze too.
The northern front was the only portion of the fire that received rain on Wednesday, officials explained, as they noted that things are looking good in a number of directions but crews continue to work on a plan to keep the wildfire from racing up on structures and assets in the Fraser area.
“The best advice that we can really give is pay attention to what the fire is doing,” a spokesman with the fire management team said as he answered questions about what the weekend might bring and how concerned guests and residents should be.
Responding to the questions, the spokesman cautioned people that fires can be unpredictable and said it’s up to them to make the best decision they can with the information they have now.
If things change, he promised that people can expect up-to-date information posted online, on social media, published through local news outlets and with other sources.
“It’s really up to you to determine if you want to visit Fraser and the Winter Park area,” the spokesman said for now. “If the fire does get big and we have some evacuations take place that will come from the county sheriff, and that information will be shared widely as well.”
For fire information:
- Williams Fork Incident Information System
- Updates from Grand County Office of Emergency Management
- CodeRed Emergency Notifications.
9 a.m. Wednesday: The latest reports from the Williams Fork Fire have the blaze increasing in size by only a few hundred acres on Tuesday with the fire now 3% contained.
According to the US Forest Service, the Williams Fork Fire showed little growth as it spotted over Darling Creek to the south by approximately a half-mile on Tuesday.
The fire also continued to burn within its perimeter, and a small smoke column could be seen, as weather conditions allowed firefighters to make progress containing the fire.
Overall, the fire is 3% contained with containment taking place in the northwest area along County Road 30. The Great Basin Type 1 Incident Management Team 2 assumed command of the fire at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Today’s efforts remain focused on protecting infrastructure and high resource values in the area, while remaining aware of potentially hazardous weather and fuels conditions, as highlighted by the Red Flag Warning that was issued for today.
Fire managers are reportedly developing contingency plans with the overall goal of preventing the fire from reaching private lands.
The Williams Fork Fire Pre-Plan Map for pre-planning and preparation purposes is available for public use. There are no standing evacuation orders for residential areas, including the Fraser Valley.
For the most current Grand County information and to sign up for CodeRED Emergency Notifications, go to http://www.gcemergency.com and http://www.co.grand.co.us/1331/Williams-Fork-Fire.
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