Water Creek Fire
Location: ~15 mi NW of Rifle, Garfield Co. CO
Specific Location: off of Hwy 13, near the Roan Plateau, BLM, Colorado River Valley Field Office (formerly Glenwood Springs — site of Storm King Mountain Monument) Lat 39° 36´ 1″ Lon 107° 56´ 31″
Date of Origin: 06/19/2010
Cause: Lightning
Situation as of 08/20/2010 5:40 pm
Personnel: 0
Size: 375 acres
Percent Contained: not reported
Costs to Date: $425,000 (no update)
Fire declared out today.
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Situation as of 06/28/2010 6:15 pm
Personnel: 20
Size: 375 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $425,000 (no update)
Increase in size due to more accurate mapping. Prior mapping miscalulated the size of the fire by half. We’re not talking best and brightest when it comes to the BLM.
Kings Peak Whoofoo Module has assumed command. Their job is to monitor the fire, but ironically, they do not issue monitoring reports. Therefore this is the last report we can expect on this fire.
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Situation as of 06/26/2010 5:15 pm
Personnel: 43
Size: 216 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $425,000 (no update)
1 IHC and 2 WFM’s are currently staffing the fire. Last report unless significant activity/demob occurs.
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Situation as of 06/25/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 50
Size: 216 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $425,000 (no update)
East flank pretty well contained. Quiet day today, RH increasing as front moves through. Smoldering, no torching observed.
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Situation as of 06/24/2010 7:30 pm
Personnel: 50
Size: 200 acres
Percent Contained: 20%
Costs to Date: $425,000
Containment reported to have gone back to 20%.
Spot fires reported the north. Group tree torching. Downwind air pollution. Health and safety hazards. No containment effort.
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Situation as of 06/23/2010 6:45 pm
Personnel: 138?
Size: 117 acres?
Percent Contained: 0%?
Costs to Date: $100,000?
Containment reported to have gone from 20% to 0%. Information error to be expected because wildland fire use (whoofoo) teams have taken over fire. Although their job (ostensibly) is to monitor, not fight the fire, they do not file monitoring reports, ironically. So the information on the 209 reports must be taken with a grain of salt. The statistics given are probably highly inaccurate.
In addition, fire strategy is not to contain or control the fire. Let It Burn fire despite early in fire season and significant resources/communities at risk downwind.
Note: the Roan Plateau is a very valuable piece of property. In 2008 the Roan Plateau lease sale netted $113.9 million, making it the highest grossing onshore oil and natural gas lease sale in BLM history in the lower 48 states. One might think that with such a windfall of funds, the BLM could do a slightly better job in managing and reporting on fires in the vicinity.
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Situation as of 06/22/2010 5:45 pm
Personnel: ?
Size: 109 acres (no update)
Percent Contained: 20%
Transitioned to Type 4 organization today, demobbed most resources, 1 T-1 crew, 2 WFMs, 1 engine, 1 IA squad still on fire. Decrease in acreage due to more accurate mapping. Continue to monitor, let interior burn.
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Situation as of 06/21/2010 4:00 pm
Personnel: 138
Size: 175 acres (no update)
Percent Contained: 5%
Fire is transitioning from a control stage to being managed for multiple objectives monitoring. Demobilizing most of engines and 2 crews tonight and tomorrow morning. Transition from a Type 3 IMT to a Type 4 organization on Tuesday 6/22/2010 with the addition of 2 wildland fire modules.
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Situation as of 06/20/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 138
Size: 175 acres
Percent Contained: 5%
Type 3 IMT took over the fire at 1330 yesterday. Demob smokejumpers, 100% mop-up on spot fires, maintain fire presence. Limited spotting and torching for a gusty wind day.
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Situation as of 06/20/2010 11:00 am
Personnel: 100
Size: 150 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Now estimated at 150 acres in heavy fuels, burning hot with long range spotting.
Very active fire behavior. Burning in heavy timber, rugged terrain, medium to long range spotting. Limited access. Posing control problems. Heavy Aviation support throughout the day (on 6/19).
