Firefighters hope for progress before dry weather returns
In this Tuesday, June 12, 2018 photo, smoke of a wildfire covers the Buffalo Mountain area, west of Silverthorne and north of Frisco, Colo. A fast-moving brush fire destroyed homes in the Utah tourist town of Moab, while several thousand people in Colorado and Wyoming fled multiple wildfires scorching the drought-stricken U.S. West on Wednesday. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via AP)
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Fire crews are hoping to make some progress stopping the wildfire burning in southwestern Colorado before drier weather makes it easier for it to spread.
The remnants of Hurricane Bud kept the fire from growing Sunday but the rain didn’t put the fire out. It remained at about 53 square miles (137 square kilometers) Monday. Lines to stop the fire’s spread have been built around 30 percent of its perimeter.
Fire managers say the fire about 13 miles (43 kilometers) north of Durango is mostly “smoldering and creeping” but drier weather is returning. They’re focusing on building containment lines on a ridge where the fire would likely spring back to life.
The fire forced the evacuation of over 2,000 homes but many evacuees have been allowed back.
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