U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, Public Information Officer: 970-210-2126 | |||
| UCR Media Information Line: 970-244-3104 |
Hunter Canyon Fire Burns in North Bookcliffs
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Fire crews with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit have responded to a fire in Hunters Canyon this afternoon, about 15 miles north/northwest of Grand Junction on the north end of the Bookcliffs. Firefighters were called out at 1:20 this afternoon. By 5:30 this afternoon, the fire had grown to about 25 acres.
The fire is burning up-slope in a remote area that includes rocky, steep terrain with a fuel mix of pinyon-juniper, desert scrub and grasses. No structures are threatened.
Resources on the fire include two engine crews, a single-engine air tanker (SEAT), an air supervision lead plane, a helitanker, and a helitack crew. In total, 15 firefighters are on the ground attacking the fire, and are expected to staff the fire overnight.
The BLM manages more land - 256 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.