Wildfire
Prescribed Fire
Burned Area Response
OtherSand Creek Fire
Unit Information
San Juan National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
15 Burnett Court
Durango, CO 81301
Incident Contact
Public Information Office
Email: 2020.sandcreek@firenet.gov
Phone: 970-426-5491
Hours: 8am - 8pm
Highlighted Activity
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The Sand Creek fire was started by lightning and first reported on June 15th, 2020. It is located 21 miles northwest of Pagosa Springs, in the Piedra Special Management Area. It is currently estimated at 65 acres in size and is burning within an area previously burned during the Little Sand Fire of 2012. Smokejumpers parachuted into the fire area on June 16th. After assessing the fire on the ground, the decision was made not to engage due to hazardous snags (standing dead/damaged trees), heavy fuel loads, and difficult terrain. An area closure is now in effect and some trails are closed. Details can be found under the "Closures" tab of this website.
Smoke from the Sand Creek fire will be visible during the duration of the incident. Smoke is expected to be visible from the Piedra Road and the community of Pagosa Springs. Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health
Basic Information
| Current as of | |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Monday June 15th, 2020 approx. 02:30 PM |
| Location | 20 miles NW of Pagosa Springs CO |
| Incident Commander | Jon Freeman, IC Whitney Dean, IC trainee |
| Incident Description | Wildfire |
| Coordinates | 37.451 latitude, -107.309 longitude |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 20 |
| Size | 103 Acres |
| Fuels Involved | Heavy Logging Slash Timber (Litter and Understory) Narrative: Significant dead and down loading resulting from the 2012 Little Sand Fire. |
| Significant Events | Moderate Smoldering Creeping |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Scout and identify opportunities for indirect/direct tactics following the direction of the incident objectives. Continue to assess and validate management action points and provide UAS and weather observation data. Monitor fire progression and status in relation to management action points. |
| Projected Incident Activity | 12 hours: Creeping and smoldering with potential for surface fire. Occasional torching. 24 hours: Creeping and smoldering with potential for surface fire. Occasional torching. |
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