Park continues to manage Castle Creek Fire

SAND DUNES — The Castle Creek fire started approximately at 4 p.m. on July 12 near the area burned in the 2010 Medano fire in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area of Great Sand Dunes National Preserve.

The half-acre lightning-caused fire is burning at 11,000 feet in steep and rough terrain and poses minimal impacts to visitors. The National Park Service, in cooperation with the San Luis Valley Interagency Fire Management Unit and the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, continues to manage the Castle Creek Fire in the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness Area within the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve.

Fire personnel developed short and long term management strategies while tracking its ignition. The recent precipitation since July 12 has been 1.96 inches at that elevation due to the summer monsoon season which has contributed to a decrease in fire behavior. On Sunday, July 16, an infrared overflight by the Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s Multi-mission Aircraft detected only one heat source. At this time, fire personnel continue to track the fire behavior and implement management strategies taking into consideration access to the remote terrain, safety of firefighters, available resources, as well as current and expected fire behavior.

Wildland fires at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve contribute to healthy forest ecosystems. The National Park Service uses wildland fires as a tool to restore fire’s role as a dynamic and necessary natural process in maintaining healthy and sustainable ecosystems while protecting lives, property and natural and cultural resources. To learn more about fire management in national park units, visit www.nps.gov/fire

Great Sand Dunes will continue to provide updates on significant management decisions on the park’s website. For more information on the Castle Creek fire, contact Kathy Faz, Public Information Officer, at 719-582-0258.