Single Publication

Little Mesa Fire Update

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Location: Approx. 15 miles west, southwest of Delta, CO, Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area      

Discovered: July 31, 2023, 11:00 AM

Cause: Lightning

Estimated Size: 3,943 acres 

Vegetation Type: Pinyon, Juniper, sagebrush, grass 

Containment: 40%

Total Personnel:  35

Current Situation: Thanks to the hard work done by firefighters, the containment of Little Mesa Fire is now 40%. Like much of the region, the fire area was mostly cloudy yesterday, with some gusty winds and light rain. The southern area of the fire received about 1/10th inch of rain while the northern end was left without any measurable precipitation. Firefighters began extending the black (burned area) to tie in the previous day’s hand ignitions to Black Point Road but only progressed about 400 yards before they were interrupted by rain and high humidity. The rest of the day was spent continuing to mop up and cold-trail the fire edge, a tedious but necessary step in gaining containment on any fire.

Today, firefighters plan to make another attempt to tie in the black they created during the firing operation on Monday into the Black Point Road to the south.

Weather: Mostly sunny skies are expected until about noon today, with a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon into the evening. Highs are forecast to be in the upper 70’s in the fire area. Southwest winds 15-20 mph are expected this morning, with a shift to lighter southerly winds this afternoon.

Monsoonal moisture in the region will get an extra boost from former Tropical Storm Harold as it gets pulled into the southerly flow. This moisture will bring widespread showers and thunderstorms beginning this evening and lasting through the end of the week. These storms will be capable of producing heavy rain, gusty winds, and frequent lighting. Chances of wetting rain will be increased Thursday, Friday, and into Saturday. 

Evacuations and Closures: No evacuations have been issued. Temporary road closures are in place in Delta County on Dry Mesa Road at the intersection with Escalante Rim Road and on USFS Dry Mesa Road at Sawmill Mesa Road junction. The GMUG National Forests issued a forest closure order for the area around the Little Mesa Fire. Public access to the closure area is limited. Visit https://bit.ly/3YwXNz0 for more information.

Smoke:  Smoke is visible from surrounding areas and highways 50, 550, 92, 65, 141 and C37 Road. Go to fire.airnow.gov or colorado.gov/airquality/ to get updates on smoke conditions.

Aviation Safety:  Incident aircraft may be flying over the Little Mesa Fire air space. Fire aviation resources are flying at different altitudes and speeds. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones must never fly near wildfires. Remember if you fly, we can’t!

Facebook: @LittleMesaFire

Twitter: @SWD_Fire