Fire reported in LaGarita-UPDATED
SAGUACHE COUNTY– The Saguache County Sheriff's Office is reporting a fast moving fire in the LaGarita areas, purportedly starting near the Natural Arch.
Nearby resiidents are being asked to contact the Sheriff's Office for evacuation instructions (719) 655-2544, but encourage residents to evacuate if they see fire.
This report will be updated when more information is known.
The #LopezFireCO was reported to Pueblo Interagency Dispatch at 4:24 this afternoon. It is burning on Forest Service land approximately 10 miles north of Del Norte, CO off Forest Service Road #670. Several engines are on-scene and numerous additional resources have been ordered, including a helicopter.
According to a Saguache County Sheriff's Office face book post, some evacuations have been ordered for the La Garita Creek area.
This is an emerging incident, and no additional information is available at this time. We will update when we get more from the on-scene resources.
Sunday night update:
#LopezFireCO update 9:00pm
Excellent efforts by the initial responders on the Lopez Fire have knocked down the advance of the fire. Supported by aerial resources, ground crews have begun fireline construction and will work until it is unsafe to remain on the line. The state’s Multi Mission Aircraft mapped the fire at 88 acres at around 7:40pm.
The Incident Commander is not reporting any containment at this time. Crews will remain on the fire overnight to monitor hot spots and flare-ups should they occur. Additional hand crews will arrive in the morning to secure the control lines and natural features and begin mop-up if the fire holds within the current burned area.
The Mandatory Evacuation Order for the La Garita Creek area has been downgraded to Pre-Evacuation. Residents are advised to remain on alert, should a flareup occur.
Initial response to the fire included the Center Volunteer Fire Department, three federal engines, 1 fire suppression module, two single engine airtankers, one large airtanker, an air attack platform and one helicopter.
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