Sylvan Fire now 44% contained

The Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management Team of the U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday issued the following press release updating the Sylvan Fire south of Eagle, which is now 44% contained:

Current Situation:  

Firefighters continue to make progress with containment now at 44%. Fire managers are developing plans for a scaled-down organization sometime around the end of the week. In the meantime, crews will continue to secure the perimeter with additional fireline. There will be additional containment before the current Incident Management Team transitions out.

Branch I:  Division G is nearing full containment. Crews are finishing the last bit of fireline construction and then will patrol and monitor the line. South of Sylvan Lake, in Division P, firefighters are building direct fireline on the edge of the unburned horseshoe west of the powerline. The portion from the powerline to the stream bottom will be unlined at this time due to steep terrain. Control line is mostly in place along the stream bottom parallel to the 400 Road through a combination of direct line and cold trailing. This line will be completed and patrolled. 

Branch II:  The unburned horseshoe in Division Z at the southern end of the fire will be cut off with an indirect line along the powerline corridor. Fuels in the area may be burned-out in the future when they dry. Logging equipment operators are evaluating an area of dense snags today on the southern end of the fire. If feasible, they will cut a swath through the snags where crews will then build fireline. West of there, direct line has been completed across the Mount Thomas Trail ridgeline and a distance down into the drainage. The steep, inaccessible portions of the fire further down the drainage will be boxed in by Mount Thomas Trail on the south and scree slopes on the west. In the northwestern part of the fire, in Division A, additional crews have been added to work on this priority section of fireline. In addition to working on line to the southeast into Antoine Creek, the crews will be gridding for spots off the northern edge of the fire. 

Structure Protection Group: A Structure Protection Group continues to assess structures east of the fire in the Fulford and surrounding areas and develop a protection plan that will be left with area agencies as a resource for future use. 

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Just over a tenth of an inch of rain fell on the fire yesterday, continuing to subdue fire behavior. The incident Fire Behavior Analyst reports that even heavy fuels are beginning to show a slight increase in moisture content. Today and Thursday will bring much the same weather. A warming trend begins over the holiday weekend, but the chance of showers will linger. Fire behavior will continue to be limited to creeping and smoldering. 

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.