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Wildfire In Rio Blanco County 'Wakes Up,' Estimated At 1,000 Acres

GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A wildfire burning in Rio Blanco County is estimated at approximately 1,000 acres.

Smoke from the fire is visible from north of the town of Silt and Interstate 70 in Garfield County.

The Lost Solar Fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land in the Flat Tops Wilderness on the Blanco Ranger District.

The Lost Solar Fire (credit: USFS)
The Lost Solar Fire (credit: USFS)

According to Kate German with the Forest Service, the fire has been burning for more than a month but is "waking up" with the change in weather and fuel conditions. It was 500 acres mid-morning on Tuesday but has since grown.

It ignited on Aug. 8.

lost-solarThe Lost Solar Fire (credit: USFS)-fire-3-credit-usfs
The Lost Solar Fire (credit: USFS)

No structures are threatened.

They're letting the fire take its natural course to benefit big game habitat. It's burning old growth.

"It's doing a lot of good work up there in the ecosystem. Something like this can only benefit the ecosystem for the future," German said.

Lost Solar Fire
The Lost Solar Fire (credit: Ron Bell)

"The fire is being managed for a 'confine and contain' strategy due to location and natural ignition," according to the White River National Forest Facebook page.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

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