Single Publication

Saint Charles Fire Update

Sunday, October 29, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander 

Information Phone: 970-628-0130

Email: 2023.saintcharles@firenet.gov

Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Current Situation: The Saint Charles Fire is currently 456 acres and 15% contained.  Firefighters have completed construction of containment lines around the entire perimeter of the Saint Charles Fire.  Although the area is expected to receive significant snowfall today, this does not mean that the fire is out.  These firelines will need to be improved and mopped up before full containment is achieved. 

Firefighters will be kept off the line until 11 am today as fire managers monitor weather conditions.  At 11 am, the Incident Management Team will brief firefighters on the plan for the remainder of the shift.  It is likely that firefighters will not be sent to the line today but will use this time to catch up on paperwork, conduct crew training, and rehabilitate hand tools. 

Weather,  Fuels, and Fire Behavior: A cold front moved over the fire area yesterday causing a sharp drop in temperatures falling into the 30s during the afternoon. Last night into today, easterly winds will bring a blast of winter weather with several inches of snow expected as temperatures fall even lower. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 6 pm today with 8 – 12 inches of snow predicted in the fire area. Temperatures will likely not lift out of the teens with the steadiest period of snow during the morning hours.  High pressure will bring an extended period of dry weather next week with mostly sunny skies following the winter blast.

Evacuations, Closures, and Fire Restrictions: Simonson Meadows in Pueblo County and Aspen Acres, Tara J, and the San Isabel area in Custer County remain on pre-evacuation notice. To sign up for emergency alerts please visit https://www.custercounty-co.gov/ (Custer County) or https://www.pueblosheriff.com/242/Emergency-Telephone-Notification (Pueblo County).

Pueblo County implemented a burn ban on October 24, 2023.  More information can be found at https://www.pueblosheriff.com/162/Emergency-Management. Custer County initiated Stage 1 fire restrictions on October 24, 2023.  More information can be found at https://www.custercounty-co.gov/.

An Area Closure is in place for the fire area on the San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC). For additional information, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/psicc/alerts-notices.

Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t.  For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Fire Statistics:

Size:   456 acres 

Containment: 15%

Total Personnel: 381

Location: 7 Miles SW of Beulah, CO

Reported: October 14, 2023

Cause: lightning

For More Information:

  Information Phone: 970-628-0130 (public)

                                   719-470-0459 (media)

  Email:  2023.saintcharles@firenet.gov

  InciWeb:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/copsf-saint-charles-fire

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SaintCharlesFire

  YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@SaintCharlesFireInformation

  Interactive Map:  https://tinyurl.com/SaintCharlesFireInteractiveMap

Text Alerts: Text  SaintCharlesFire to 77295. Text and data rates apply.