SALIDA — As of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office lifted the pre-evacuation order for zones 2 and 3 of Howard and the communities of Wellsville/Swissvale/Box Canyon.

The pre-evacuation order for Bear Creek and Zone 1 in Howard will remain in place, as the firefighters continue to deal with the Decker Fire.

w The temporary emergency closure for BLM-administered lands in Chaffee and Fremont counties was adjusted at noon on Tuesday. The closure order for BLM-administered lands in Chaffee County was lifted; the closure order remains in effect for BLM-administered lands in Fremont County.

w A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team continues conducting assessments in the area of the fire. A BAER assessment addresses post-wildfire threats to life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and takes immediate actions to implement emergency stabilization measures before the first major storms.

w Due to decreased fire activity, no smoke outlook will be provided from this point forward. Analysts expect air quality to remain good; some smoke may be visible from smoldering fuels, but it is not anticipated to affect air quality.

The fire has not shown much movement over the last 24 hours. Weather is helping to curb fire behavior with increased relative humidity (RH) and cooler temperatures. Smoke will be visible as the larger diameter fuels within the interior of the fire continue to smolder, and winds will continue to be a factor. Snow is in the forecast.

Due to the diminished threat of the fire spreading, crews will no longer operate after dark. Structure protection equipment is being picked up in many areas where it has been determined that the threat has diminished to the point that it can be removed.

The black containment line in the area of the “thumb” and “fingers” on the E/SE side (Howard/Hwy 50 area) continues to be extended to the south. Crews are working on suppression repair, and have almost completed this section of the Rainbow Trail.

Patrols have been increased in the Bear Creek area now that the area has been repopulated. The spot fire in the SE corner continues to display minimal activity with occasional smoke.

The focus of work on the W/SW side (Poncha Pass/US 285 area) continues to be improving containment lines in the area of the Methodist repeater site, as well as suppression repair. The area of active fire near Simmons Peak exhibited very little movement for the past several days.

The fire along the “minimal risk, limited action” brown line on the N/NW side is slowly backing down the ridge, and will continue to be monitored, with additional ground and aerial assets being used as warranted. Suppression repair is ongoing, with water bars being installed in some areas for erosion protection.

Closures and Public Safety: For road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County, please refer to the following resources. San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradoFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMClosure. Please respect closures. For evacuation or pre-evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office: 719-276-5555 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites.