Crews Make Slow Progress On Southern Colorado Wildfire
LA PLATA COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Crews continue to make progress on the 416 Fire that started in La Plata County last week. The fire is 10 percent contained on Monday morning with 2,402 acres burned.
Overnight the fire was most active on its southern flank.
There are 384 crews on the fire which started on Friday morning 10 miles north of Durango.
"As the week goes on we're starting to expect the fuel conditions to dry up. It's going to be a little tougher fight as the week goes on," said a fire official on scene.
Highway 550 was expected to remain open Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with traffic restricted to one lane, but because of heavy smoke in the area, the highway was closed about 2 p.m.
There is a forest closure in place for the San Juan National Forest. Visitors can call 970-385-8700 for more information.
The fire has caused more than 800 homes to be evacuated, and another 700 homes are on pre-evacuation notice. Those notices are still in place.
Firefighters from West Metro Fire are helping crews with logistics and communications. Officials on scene say this firefight is going to take a long time.
"There's gonna be someone here for weeks taking care of this fire."
Smoke from the 416 Fire and another fire burning near Eagles Nest, New Mexico named the Ute Park Fire continues to make its way into the Denver metro area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
LINK: 416 Fire
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