Sylvan Fire now 27% contained as Stage II fire restrictions remain in place

The Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management Team of the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday, June 29, issued the following press release updating the status of the Sylvan Fire, which is now 27% contained:

Special Note: With 4^th of July weekend coming up, we would like to remind everyone that Stage II Fire restrictions remain in place throughout the area. Fire restrictions can be found at the agency links near the bottom of the page. Please do everything possible to avoid starting new fires as we head into the peak of our wildfire season. 

Current Situation:  

The size of Sylvan Fire has remained constant at 3,775 acres for the past few days. Containment has increased each of the last three days and currently stands at 27%. With very light fire behavior since the recent rains, more rain likely over the next week, and good progress made toward containing the fire, fire managers are looking at options for the days ahead. These will include keeping sufficient numbers of firefighters on the ground to continue progress towards containment while beginning to right size other parts of the fire organization. 

Branch I:  The crews in Division G are working on reinforcing and improving the fireline from Sylvan Lake to the powerline road. A newly arrived hotshot crew will be working in the area today. A REMS (Rapid Extraction Module Support) Team has been stationed at Sylvan Lake. Their purpose, if needed, is to extract injured firefighters from difficult terrain. South of Sylvan Lake, in Division P, firefighters continue prepping the containment line in the damp, grassy stream bottom parallel to the Eagle-Thomasville Road (400 Road). Firing operations to remove fuels between the fire edge and the stream bottom will be delayed until fuels dry out sufficiently. 

Branch II:  A portion of Division Z on the southeastern corner of the fire contains so many snags that it is dangerous to put firefighters into the area. To mitigate this hazard, a timber processor has been ordered to clear a path through the snags and live trees. Any usable logs will be decked for later use. Further west in this section, firefighters are taking advantage of meadows and other natural features to create a fire barrier. An additional hotshot crew will be working in this area today. The steep, inaccessible portions of Division Z that are unsafe for crews to work in will be boxed in by an indirect fireline on the south along the Mount Thomas Trail and scree slopes on the west. In the northwestern part of the fire, in Division A, firefighters continue to work toward containment from the powerline road to LEDE Reservoir and from the reservoir to the southeast. 

Structure Protection Group: A Structure Protection Group is assessing structures east of the fire in the Fulford and surrounding areas. It is unlikely that the fire will grow in that direction. Nevertheless, the group will develop a contingency plan for protecting structures in the area during this or future fires. The plan will be left with area agencies as a resource for future use. 

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Monday saw warmer temperatures and lower relative humidity, but that change will be short lived. Numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms will move in from the south today and remain through Wednesday. Temperatures will warm in the latter part of the week through the weekend, and a daily chance of showers and thunderstorms will continue. The continuing damp conditions will result in mostly smoldering and creeping fire behavior. 

Evacuations, Closures, and Fire Restrictions: For the latest information about pre-evacuation or evacuation notices or fire restrictions on non-Federal lands, visit www.ecemergency.org for Eagle County and www.pitkinemergency.org  for Pitkin County. For the latest on area, road, and trail closures and fire restrictions on National Forest lands, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver. 

Temporary Flight Restriction (TRF): A TFR is in place over the Sylvan Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Whenever a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.