| Contacts: | Kimberly Miller, Fire Information Officer, (970) 309-0348 | |||
| Recorded media fire information line for all unit fires: (970) 244-3104 |
Firefighters respond to fire north of Eagle (09-15-10)
Eagle, Colo. – Firefighters responded to a lightning-caused fire today on Bureau of Land Management public lands north of Eagle, near Cottonwood Creek. The smoke was reported at 1:34 pm this afternoon. This fire, called the Nielson Gulch Fire, is upwind of both the Eby Creek subdivision and Eagle Ranch. The Nielson Gulch Fire is reported to be 2.5 acres burning in pinyon pine and juniper vegetation.
Resources on scene include: three engines, a water tender and firefighters from the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District; Brush 14 (200 gallon tank truck) from the Gypsum Fire Protection District; a ten person handcrew from both Vail Fire Department and the Eagle River Fire Protection District; and two engines, air attack and a single engine air tanker from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit.
No structures are currently threatened.
Firefighters estimate that the fire will be contained around 10:00 pm this evening and controlled in the morning.
Eagle County is providing a live feed to the fire at http://www.eaglecounty.us/ under ecotv18.
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.
2300 River Frontage Road Silt, CO 81652