The following update was issued by the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch at 9:40 a.m. regarding the Little Devil Fire:
Start: August 18, 2015
Cause: Lightning
Size: 70 acres
Percent contained: 20 percent
Number of personnel: 74 including three handcrews, eight smokejumpers, one dozer and nine miscellaneous overhead.
Aircraft: One air attack, one Type-2 heavy air tanker, two single-engine air tankers, one Type-3 helicopter.
Update on activities: Crews made great progress during yesterday’s operational shift. The south, east, and west firelines held overnight with no reported additional growth occurring on the Little Devil Fire. Today crews will continue to construct and secure firelines along the western flank and northern portion of the fire with assistance from aircraft as needed. Additional resources have been assigned to the incident including one Forest Service dozer which will be standing by at the Ute Campground and the Flagstaff Hotshots are expected to arrive later today.
The fire is burning at a low to moderate level of intensity, with fire behavior consisting of smoldering and creeping with isolated torching but the fire’s location in very rugged terrain is making suppression efforts difficult.
Closures: Road closures went into effect Thursday, Aug. 20, Forest Roads: 626, Devil Mountain Road, and 627, which accesses the Devil Creek State Wildlife Area, are closed for public safety.
Community Concerns: The fire and smoke will be visible from U.S. 160 and U.S. 151 for days to come. Drivers are encouraged to keep their curiosity at bay and eyes forward on the road.
There are no immediate structures, private property or critical infrastructure threatened by the Little Devil Fire.
Weather: The area forecast indicates several days of warm temperatures, little precipitation and gusty winds with the possibility of isolated showers and thunderstorms.
