Prescribed Burns to Continue Through the Weekend on Columbine Ranger District

Release Date: Sep 6, 2019

BAYFIELD, Co., September 6, 2019 –After test-firing the unit on Thursday, more than 75 firefighters successfully implemented 60 acres of prescribed burning in the southern portion of the Vallecito-Piedra (VP) Prescribed Burn Unit 1 in the First Notch area. This burn will set the stage for prescribed burning through the weekend and beyond, as fire management personnel experienced good burning conditions throughout the day. We expect to continue burning the lower elevation portions of the VP Unit 1.

On Saturday, firefighters will continue hand ignitions on the southeastern portion of the unit. This will help ensure the burn stays within established control lines and maintain desired fire effects. Sunday, firefighters expect to complete the southern portion of the burn with both hand and aerial (helicopter) ignitions, implementing a total of approximately 1,400 acres of prescribed burn. After completing the planned ignitions, firefighters will remain on scene to patrol and monitor the perimeter as long as necessary.

Smoke will likely be visible well into next week, usually settling into low-lying areas at night, potentially causing visibility  impacts to the south and east at times. The smoke will dissipate through the afternoon.

As with any prescribed fire, the fire area can be dangerous to the public and to firefighters. Forest users are asked to stay out of the burned area, and to be vigilant for fire traffic, falling trees, and other hazards when traveling down FS620.

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health.  For more information see: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

Up-to-date information on the San Juan National Forest Prescribed Burn Program can be found on InciWeb athttps://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6288/.

Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SanJuanNF/ and on the Forest Website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan/.