Royal Gorge Fire at 65 Percent Containment
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Cañon City, Colo. – Firefighters continued to make excellent progress yesterday on the Royal Gorge Fire. The fire remains at 3,218 acres and containment has increased to 65 percent. Pockets of unburned fuel remain within the fire perimeter, but pose no threat to containment lines. Fire crews burned some of these pockets of fuel yesterday, which produced smoke during part of the day.
Today firefighters will continue to strengthen lines on the southwest portion of the fire and conduct mop-up operations on the entire fire perimeter.
Officials from the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) reported today that “due to the safety concerns associated with today's attempt on retrieving the four cables located in the river from the Royal Gorge Bridge Park's Tram, …Section 5, from Parkdale Recreation Site to Canon City remains closed until further notice. Effective immediately, Parkdale Recreation Site is open for all Bighorn River trips (Section 4B), both private and commercial.”
Residents who were displaced by the Royal Gorge Fire, or those who lost power as a result of the fire, are encouraged to visit the Fremont County Public Health website (www.fremontco.com.) for an important food and water safety alert. Dumpsters for disposing of spoiled or contaminated food will be available through the weekend for residents returning to their homes.
Royal Gorge Fire Statistics at a Glance:
- Time/Date Started: June 11, 2013 approximately 1 p.m.
- Location: Fremont County, Colorado
- Cause: Under Investigation
- Fuels: Piñon, Juniper, Sage Brush
- Size: 3,218 acres
- Containment: 65%
- Resources Committed: 384 personnel including - Rocky Mountain Area Incident Management Team B, 2 Type-1 crews, 8 Type-2 crews, 1 Type-1 helicopter, 1 Type 3-helicopter, 14 engines, 3 dozers, and 7 water tenders
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