Firefighters to burn slash piles on Lookout Mountain
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SILT, Colo. – Smoke may be visible east of Glenwood Springs this fall or winter when crews from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire and Aviation Management Unit burn slash piles generated from a Bureau of Land Management fuels reduction project on Lookout Mountain.
About 200 slash piles were generated last year from thinning mountain shrubs to reduce the risk of wildfire near the Lookout Mountain Communications Site. The piles were allowed to dry and are now ready to burn. Firefighters will wait for favorable conditions to ignite the piles and expect to complete the burning in two days.
“We look for days when conditions are good for safe, effective burning and dispersing smoke away from area communities,” said Chad Sewell, fuels specialist for the Bureau of Land Management Colorado River Valley Field Office.
Anyone with health conditions that may be affected by short durations of smoke should contact Chad Sewell at (970) 876-9030. Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, see https://www.colorado.gov/
The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire and Aviation Management Unit (UCR) includes Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service firefighting resources that cover 5.8 million acres along the Interstate 70, Colorado River and Roaring Fork River corridors from the Continental Divide to the Utah state line. The UCR includes the White River National Forest and the BLM’s Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction field offices. The UCR cooperates with other federal and state agencies, local communities, and fire departments on a wide range of activities including fuels treatments, fire prevention, and suppression.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.