| Contacts: | David Boyd, Fire Information Officer, 970 319-4130 |
Firefighters continue monitoring the Water Creek Fire (06-22-10)
RIFLE, Colo. – Firefighters are continuing to monitor the 170-acre Water Creek Fire, which remains active within its interior but is not currently growing. The fire is about 10 miles north of Rifle on the top of the Roan Plateau.
“The fire is cleaning up its interior and doing what we want it to do,” said Incident Commander Fred Thompson of the Helena Hot Shots.
About 50 firefighters are monitoring the fire, weather, and moisture in the vegetation, but they are not suppressing the fire. This strategy allows the fire to play its natural role of clearing dead and downed timber and stimulating new forest growth. It also gives firefighters the information they need to anticipate future fire activity. If fire activity begins increasing beyond what’s desired, firefighters will begin suppressing the fire.
Because of the rugged terrain and large amounts of dead standing and downed trees, this approach keeps firefighter safety the top priority because falling trees are a particular hazard for wildland firefighters. It also more effectively uses firefighting resources.
Smoke from this fire may be seen intermittently from Rifle and the surrounding area for the next several weeks.
Several BLM roads on top of the Roan Plateau near the location of the fire are closed for public safety until further notice. These are BLM roads 8004 (Cook Ridge), 8006 (Northwater), 8008 (Long Ridge), and 8009. Updates to these road closures will be available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/crvfo.html.
JQS Road, Cow Creek Road and the Rim Road are open. Fire officials urge caution for those visiting the Roan because of the large amount of fire traffic.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. 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.
2815 H Road Grand Junction, CO 81506