YMCA Fire Update
July 9, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Bureau of Land Management
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit Royal Gorge Field Office 

Firefighters make progress on YMCA Fire, containment increases

Current Situation: On Thursday, a mid-morning flight mapped the YMCA Fire at 268 acres. Through the day, four hand crews used retardant laid down by aircraft over the past two days to create control line in places along the fire’s edge. Their efforts resulted in containment of approximately 30% of the fire’s perimeter. Helicopters continued making bucket drops of water through the day to cool off hot spots and address spots that were inaccessible by ground crews. 

Much of the smoke produced on Thursday was from interior fuels, yielding only small growth on the fire’s perimeter. The fire was mapped at 293 acres. 
Although containment is increasing, smoke and possibly flames will continue to be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. Crews will be working into the evening and will remain near the fire through the night. 

Weather: Tonight, temperatures are forecast to be 56-61 degrees with winds out of the west at 4-8.

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Closures and Evacuations: There are no closures or evacuations in place at this time. The Alert Fremont reverse 911 system is available for residents of Fremont County to get emergency alerts in real time. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Fremont through the county website: https://www.fremontco.com/alert-fremont.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.org
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 141
Percent Contained:  30%
Cause:  Lightning 

YMCA Fire Update  
July 9, 2020 10:00 a.m.  

Bureau of Land Management  
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit  
Royal Gorge Field Office  

Crews work into the night on Wednesday, plan on continuing efforts Thursday  
Current Situation: The YMCA Fire was reported on the afternoon of July 8. The fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands in the Grand Canyon Hills area, approximately 4 miles southwest of Canon City. The fire was last estimated at 120 acres around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. The fire grew overnight but has not yet been mapped for a precise acreage. The fire remains on Bureau of Land Management lands and no structures are threatened at this time. The cause of the fire was determined to be lightning. 

Two hand crews worked until midnight creating fire line along where air tankers had laid retardant around the fire on Wednesday afternoon. Helicopters worked into the evening supporting ground crews with bucket drops of water.

On Thursday, two Type 1 helicopters will assist ground crews in continuing work to contain the fire. Three additional hand crews and an additional Type 1 helicopter has been ordered. Fixed-wing aircraft - Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), and  Large Air Tankers (LATs) - will be available through the day as needed. 

A public information phone line, a Facebook page, and a Twitter page were established on Wednesday for the public and media to get current information on the YMCA Fire. An Inciweb page was established overnight and information will be posted there as well. Those numbers and addresses are listed below. 

Weather: Clear, sunny skies and temperatures up to 96 are expected over the YMCA Fire today. Winds are forecast out of the west-southwest at 10-15 mph with gusts to 18. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Closures and Evacuations: There are no closures or evacuations in place at this time. The Alert Fremont reverse 911 system is available for residents of Fremont County to get emergency alerts in real time. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Fremont through the county website: https://www.fremontco.com/alert-fremont.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 120 acres
Percent Contained:  0%
Cause:  Lightning

YMCA Fire Update
July 8, 2020, 6:30 p.m.  

Bureau of Land Management 
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit 
Royal Gorge Field Office  

YMCA Fire Burning on BLM Lands Southwest of Canon City  
Current Situation: The YMCA Fire was reported at 3:37 p.m. this afternoon, July 8. The fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands in the Grand Canyon Hills area, approximately 4 miles southwest of Canon City. The fire was last estimated at 100 acres around 6 p.m. The fire remains on Bureau of Land Management lands and no structures are threatened at this time. 
 
Multiple agencies are on scene with both air and ground resources. Two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), 2 Large Air Tankers (LATs), and helicopters are assisting ground crews. Additional resources have been ordered, including a Hotshot crew and a Type 2 Initial Attack hand crew. Please do not call 911 to report smoke from the YMCA Fire. 
 
A public information phone line, a Facebook page, and a Twitter page has been established for the public and media to get current information on the YMCA Fire. Those are listed below. 
 
More information will be provided as it becomes available. 
 
YMCA Fire Contact Information: 
Fire Information Office:  (719) 315-0690 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO 
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO  

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8 
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO 
Size:  Approximately 100 acres 
Percent Contained:  0% 
Cause:  Unknown 

 Fresnal Fire Update  July 10, 2020

Firefighters received help Thursday evening from a monsoonal storm that drenched the Fresnal fire. Although the storm was accompanied by a great deal of lightning, the rainfall accompanying the storm brought nearly one-half inch of needed rain. Desert washes in the area were running and firefighters were pulled off the line for safety reasons. This morning little fire activity remains while firefighters are available to handle any new starts created by the large amount of lightning from last night’s passing thunderstorm.

Today, the team managing the fire and most of the resources assigned to this incident will be demobilized to return to home stations or be reassigned to other incidents. Management of the fire will return to the Nogales district of the Coronado National Forest.  Three engine crews will continue to patrol, conduct suppression repair, and monitor for any hotspots within the perimeter that might remain.

This will be the last news release for the Fresnal fire. Total acreage burned by this fire has been measured as 1,718 acres, 502 of which are on the Coronado National Forest, the remainder in Mexico.

Incident Commander Darrell Howell expresses his appreciation to local residents of Arivaca and surrounding area ranching families affected by this fire for their patience with our presence and for allowing us to serve their needs while working in their community.

Closures:  Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https:Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions.

 

For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov

Fresnal Fire Update July 9, 2020
 

Firefighters extended fire lines westward along the international border yesterday. Subsequently a burnout of fuels between the fire and the line was conducted last night while air temperatures were more moderate and humidity levels higher. The effect was to create additional defensible space between the fire and the fire line. This work was conducted to keep any additional fire growth south of the international boundary.

On the eastern portion of the fire, the previous night’s suppression actions continued to hold with no new fire growth occurring. By morning, fire managers had achieved 70% containment on the approximately 200 acres of the fire existing on lands of the Coronado National Forest. A much larger area of the fire is burning in Mexico. Mexican ”Bomberos” are making similar progress to contain the fire south of the international border.

Today firefighters continued widening and improving fire lines and patrolling for hot spots near the line. Ambient temperatures along the border continued to reach over 100 degrees with extremely dry fuel conditions. However, winds were moderate and relative humidity increased later in the afternoon.

There are no nearby structures threatened.

Closures:  Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https:Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions.

For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov

Southeast Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team
Darrell Howell, Incident Commander

Fresnal Fire
July 8, 2020

The Fresnal Fire was discovered burning towards the international border in Mexico on July 7th. The fire’s ignition source at the present time is unknown. It quickly spread to approximately 500 acres and burned northeastward across the international border onto Coronado National Forest lands. By evening, Mexican “Bomberos” had engaged the fire south of the border. Coronado National Forest fire crews also responded to the fire as it moved into the United States.

This morning crews north of the border coordinated with Mexican crews and jointly conducted burn outs from constructed fire lines intended to keep the fire from moving further into Arizona.

Tomorrow firefighters will continue to defend established lines while widening those barriers. Ambient temperatures along the border have exceeded 100 degrees with fuel conditions extremely dry. These conditions and steep terrain are challenging firefighters, but they are making steady progress.

Currently no structures are threatened.

Closures: Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https://Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions. For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov

Monday, July 13, 2020 

For Immediate Release – East Fork Fire Protection District, Minden, Nevada

Contact:     Amy Ray, Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal, East Fork Fire Protection District, 775-546-3738,
Ryan Elliott, Bureau of Land Management, 775-885-6167

On Monday, July 6, 2020, at approximately 6:50 p.m., the Numbers Fire was detected near the Pine View Estates area, south of Gardnerville, NV.  During the investigation, several fires were located along Highway 395 that are believed to be related to the Numbers Fire.

Investigators with the East Fork Fire Protection District, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, and the USDA Forest Service worked together over the past week to determine the origin and cause of these fires.

Investigators have gathered physical evidence that indicates a semi-tractor trailer truck, while operating southbound on Highway 395, most likely experienced a failure in its exhaust system.  This possible failure allowed hot particles to be discharged along the highway right-of-way, igniting dry grass and brush.

Any persons who may have additional information about a semi-tractor trailer truck seen on Highway 395 heading south at around 6:45 p.m. on July 6, 2020, in the area of the Numbers Fire, is encouraged to use the following e-mail address 2020firetips@gmail.com.

The Numbers Fire has burned 18,340 acres and is 98% contained. 

Sunday, July 12, 2020

RED FLAG WARNING

Contact Fire Information:  208.296.1233 or 2020.Numbers@firenet.gov

The Numbers Fire is now 88 percent contained as of Saturday evening.  Containment indicates that fire managers are confident the fire perimeter will not grow beyond the existing fireline.  Smoke was visible yesterday as fire continues to consume interior islands of unburned vegetation.  The final fire size is likely to remain at 18,342 acres, unless significant activity occurs.  Of that total, 6,545 acres are on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 5,833 acres are on Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and 5,964 acres are on private land.

Repair work continues on the fireline, including contingency firelines, that were constructed by dozers during the first days of the fire.  The crews working high on the ridgeline, near the remaining section of uncontained fireline, have been camping nearby to eliminate travel to and from the main fire camp each day.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning – an indicator for weather conditions that may lead to extreme fire behavior and rapid growth – for the Sierra Front north of Minden today due to predicted strong winds combined with high temperatures and low relative humidity.  Gusts on the ridges may reach 35 to 40 miles per hour.  Temperatures will once again reach the mid-90s and relative humidity is likely to drop to single digits.  These critical conditions are expected to continue through Monday.

Although the fire is nearing full containment, fire vehicles and heavy equipment will still be in the area for several days.  Please drive cautiously in the area, and limit use of Pinenut 2 and Blossom Canyon Roads to residents only.

Great Basin Incident Management Team 4 plans to transition the Numbers Fire back to the local units on Wednesday morning.  Full containment is estimated by that time.  Team 4 is grateful to the community and partners for the assistance and support.

FINAL MORNING UPDATE

This will be the final fire update for the Numbers Fire unless significant activity occurs.  Please follow @NevadaFireInfo on Twitter and @BLMNevada on Facebook for additional photos and information.

Saturday, July 11, 2020
Contact Fire Information:  208.296.1233 or 2020.Numbers@firenet.gov

Crews took advantage of a relatively quiet Friday to patrol and contain sections of the Numbers Fire perimeter.  Weather concerns remain as crews continue monitoring and securing the fireline.  Increased westerly winds are anticipated today, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour near the fire.  A National Weather Service Fire Weather Watch is in place, primarily for Sunday and Monday.  Conditions remain hot and dry, which means the potential for fire activity remains high for any existing embers or new fire starts. 

Numerous aviation resources are required to support firefighters on wildland fires located in steep terrain and require a number of personnel to camp near the fire or in remote areas.  For example, on a high fire activity day during the Numbers Fire, seven helicopters provided an average of 30 hours of suppression and logistical support to include water bucket drops and the movement of food and supplies to support firefighters on the ground.  Keeping this high aviation use in mind, it is important for recreational users who fly model airplanes or drones, to know before you fly.  The Federal Aviation Administration now has an improved app with interactive maps – B4UFLY, https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly/ – to help show where the public can and cannot fly.  Wildland fire managers appreciate the public’s support to ensure the safety of all fire personnel.

Wildland fire personnel will continue working hard over the weekend to ensure public safety and the protection of cultural resources and wildlife habitat.  Heavy equipment is tasked with suppression repair work of dozer lines where containment has been secured. 

Please be aware of increased fire traffic in these areas, especially during the morning and evening hours, and limit use of Pinenut 2 and Blossom Canyon Roads to residents only.  Thank you for the ongoing community support. 

Friday, July 10, 2020
Contact Fire Information:  208.296.1233 or 2020.Numbers@firenet.gov

Fire behavior was minimal on the Numbers Fire on Thursday.  No additional growth was reported on the fire, and containment increased from 20% to 30%.  The visible fire activity occurred primarily on the southeast corner, high on the ridge of the mountain range.  Existing containment lines held despite gusty winds.  Fire crews were able to secure the section of fire perimeter high on the east slope of the mountain range where the fire burned through dense mahogany on steep slopes.  Atmospheric instability caused frequent and sometimes large dust whirls over the burned areas.

Winds will decrease today before growing stronger over the weekend.  Light cloud cover is expected, although temperatures will remain high and relative humidity could drop to 10%.  A high potential for fire growth remains as the warm and dry weather pattern persists over the area.  Fire officials will take advantage of the decreased winds today to secure as much fire perimeter as possible before the weekend.

Fire crews will continue to patrol and contain sections of the fire perimeter, looking for any remaining heat or embers.  Islands of unburned trees and brush inside the fire perimeter continue to burn.  While smoke may be visible for several days, these sections do not pose a risk for spread and will be allowed to burn out.  

Heavy equipment will begin rehabilitation of dozer lines where containment has been secured.  Firefighters are following direction from land management partners to ensure the protection of cultural resources and wildlife habitat.

The Team is working at the firecamp based at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.  Please be aware of increased fire traffic in these areas, especially during the morning and evening hours, and limit use of Pinenut 2 and Blossom Canyon Roads to residents only.  The fire crews are well supplied with food, water, and other necessities.