YOUR AD HERE »

Flat Tops Wilderness fire caused by lightning, burning 200 acres

Staff report
Glenwood Springs Post Independent

A lightning strike on Friday caused a fire on Himes Peak in the Flat Tops Wilderness, approximately 46 miles east of Meeker, according to a press release from the White River National Forest.

The fire, covering 200 acres, is burning in grass, aspen and heavy dead timber, according to the release, and is “largely within the perimeter of the 2002 Big Fish Fire which burned near Trappers Lake.”

“Crews responded to smoke reports in the area [on Friday], but haze from numerous wildfires in the western U.S. limited visibility and they did not find a fire,” according to the release.

Wednesday, the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit (UCR) responded to reports of an emerging wildfire at the base of Himes Peak. Since wildfire activity is “extremely high” throughout the western states, the release said the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit (UCR) is working to suppress the fire’s spread instead of “allowing it to take its natural course.”

“Crews’ efforts to engage the fire on the ground have been hampered by dense patches of standing dead ‘snags’ and fallen trees in the burn area that threaten firefighter safety and egress,” according to the release.

Additional resources have been ordered to help.

All Trappers Lake and Himes Peak campgrounds will be closed for public safety, until further notice, and N=no traffic will be permitted on Trappers Lake Road (Forest Road 205) from its junction at Rio Blanco CR 8 to Trappers Lake Lodge. The release stated that updates will be posted on Inciweb.