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July 25, 2000 4 p.m. Tuesday update: By Jenn Ooton Three helicopters, four air tankers, 16 hand crews, 30 fire engines and 6 bulldozers manned by 679 personnel are fighting the Bircher Fire. As of 10 a.m., 22,667 acres were known to have burned, 2,000 acres of which are reported to be on private land. Roughly 11 miles into the Mesa Verde National Park on the main road, ash and soot are evidence of the fire that has swept through the area. Along the road, the landscape is pervaded by scorched, barren trees. Ash covers the ground and the guardrail along the road is incinerated and has collapsed. No new information about the growth of the fire was available. Tuesday afternoon the fire was seen picking up in intensity along the eastern slope of the mesa.
Noon Tuesday update: By Matt Gleckman The Bircher Fire, which has engulfed 22,000 acres of land including one third of Mesa Verde National Park, is now only one mile from the Far View Lodge and Visitor Center complex on top of the mesa, fire officials reported Tuesday morning. Several firefighters, engines and pieces of equipment were placed in the Far View area on Monday pending a possible fire attack. "There has been some mitigation around the Far View area which will act as a safety buffer for the firefighters," said incident command spokesperson Justin Dombrowski. The firefighters are hoping to protect a visitor center, ranger station, several residences and the research center which is about three miles to the west of Far View. Will Morris, spokesperson for Mesa Verde National Park, said that the fire has been bumping up against the area which was burned by the Chapin 5 fire in 1996. Fire officials say that this reduction in available fuel, combined with an increase in relative humidity and a more stable air mass over the past day, have helped to slow the fire's progress. On Tuesday morning, a Type 1 incident command team from the Pacific
Northwest took command. The new incident commander, Mike Lohrey, said that
the team plans to use this break in the weather to make aggressive attacks
on the fire when it is safe. 10 a.m. Tuesday update: Montezuma Valley residents awoke Tuesday morning to blue sky, after four days of coppery-colored smoke from the Bircher Fire still burning on Mesa Verde and the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. A breeze out of the north has cleared the smoke from the Cortez area, but the status of the fire has not changed dramatically. As of Tuesday morning, the Bircher fire had consumed 22,000 acres, including 13,000 within the park as well as Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park lands, BLM lands and private property. The fire is being combated by 679 firefighters, and as of Tuesday morning, only minor injuries had been reported, including minor abrasions, twisted knees, smoke inhalation, heat exhaustion and dehydration. A Type I Interagency Fire Management Team under the direction of Mike Lohrey has taken over management of the fire. Type I teams are assigned to the most severe and volatile wildland fires. Lohrey's team takes over from a Type II team run by Joe Hartman. A fire spokeswoman said a little break in the weather yesterday slowed down the growth of the fire. The cool front was a mixed blessing, however. Although various parts of the valley experienced a few sprinkles, no precipitation fell on the fire Monday night, lightning raised the risk of additional fires, and gusty winds fanned the flames on the mesa. Cooler air and higher humidity are a boon to firefighters, but light rainfall does not penetrate the superheated air above the blaze. A heavy and extended downpour would be needed to douse the flames, officials say, and meteorologists have not offered much hope for that. Today's forecast is for hot, dry and unstable air. At noon: Information from the Tuesday morning press briefing.
Bircher
Fire rages over mesa
BY MATT GLECKMAN Erratic winds, parched land and steep terrain are making firefighting efforts extremely difficult on and around Mesa Verde National Park. The Bircher Fire, which reportedly began from a lightning strike last Thursday, by 6 p.m. Monday had scorched more than 22,000 acres of Gambel oak, piñon, juniper and Douglas fir on a mix of national-park, BLM, tribal and private land. On Monday, the Montezuma County commissioners declared a state of emergency in the county . "We’re sitting on a hotbed of extreme fire conditions. This is extreme energy — it has awesome power," said Justin Dombrowski, information officer for the Rocky Mountain Incident Command Team. On Monday morning Dombrowski said that a Type I incident management team (the largest and most experienced type of fire-management team) would be arriving from the Pacific Northwest in the afternoon. "Some of the team members have already arrived," he said. But the fire consumed fewer acres than expected Monday, slowed by a break in the weather (scattered rains fell in the afternoon), reduced fuel in the rocky canyons, and a line of fire retardant that was laid down in front of the blaze. As of Monday evening it was 15 percent contained. The fire was discovered Thursday afternoon on property owned by the Bircher family. The initial attack was made by the Mancos Fire Department. On Friday, a Type II Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team took command. It has been aided by the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Weather Service, Colorado State Forest Service, Ute Mountain Ute tribe, and the Cortez, Animas, Mancos and Dolores fire departments. "The local fire departments were instrumental during the first days of the fire. They’re still helping out directly on the fire and indirectly by helping to back up with any new fire starts in the area," he said.. Dombrowski said that 679 persons and several pieces of equipment, including 13 hand crews, 23 fire engines, three bulldozers, four helicopters and up to six air tankers, have been assigned to the area. However, during the first days of fighting the inferno, three helicopters had mechanical problems, rendering them temporarily useless. Dombrowski said a number of other fires around the western United States, including one in Craig, have made it difficult to harness resources. On Monday the county commissioners declared a state of emergency in the county. "Our crews are screaming for resources," said Commissioner Kent Lindsay. "Right now we are competing with so many other fires that things can’t get done. The bottom line is that we need additional help, or we will be here for a long time." The declaration of an emergency is needed by Gov. Bill Owens in order to free up National Guard equipment and troops, said County Commissioner Kelly Wilson. Due to the unpredictable winds, low humidity and the possibility of more dry lightning, 50 residences on top of Mesa Verde as well as some private residences near the fire danger have been evacuated as a precaution. On Monday, sheriff’s Detective Lt. Kalvin Boggs said Cortez does have an evacuation plan in place but doubted that the city will need to utilize it. Evacuation plans for Cortez will go into place if warranted, reported Sheriff Joey Chavez. District fire commanders have sent a team of public-information officers to inform residents of the conditions of the fire and to help with evacuations. Chavez said residents on County Road H were concerned, especially when embers could be seen ominously moving down the mesa towards the valley. Some seasoned fire officials called the Bircher Fire one of the most extreme fires they have ever seen. "This is in the top 5 as far as fire behavior goes," said Fire Safety Officer Gregg Toll. "Yellowstone (National Park fire in 1988) is the only other one close," he said. Toll said smoke from the Bircher Fire is breaking through several layers of the atmosphere. "It’s reaching 40,000 to 50,000 feet; it’s the highest I’ve seen in a while," he said. On Sunday, Toll along with 80 other firefighters were successful in saving Morefield Village — a campground on top of Mesa Verde which is complete with a gas station, showers, laundry and a convenience store. Officials reported that some slight damage was done to the campground’s restroom. Four hand crews and fire engines had been placed in the Morefield Campground area ahead of time as a precaution. "(The firefighters) took some amazing heat and pretty extreme fire going around them but they were able to save everything," said Dombrowski. "Visibility was only two to three feet because of the smoke, but everyone stayed in the safe zone and knew the escape routes," he said. The fire-safety officer said that one firefighter was suffering from a stomachache and dizziness from the extreme heat. "They air-lifted him out," Toll said. As of Monday afternoon, only two other firefighters had suffered injuries, both minor. Archaeological sites within the park could be threatened if the fire continues to head to the west. On Monday the fire was about 4 1/2 miles away from Cliff Palace — one of the park’s largest alcove cliff dwellings, said Linda Towle, chief of research and resource development for Mesa Verde. Toll said the ideal for the current situation would be if the wind would drop to 0 to 5 mph and start blowing out of the west — pushing the fire back on itself. Inferno could have been prevented, critics maintain By Jim Mimiaga Everything from an inadequate initial response to a federal law protecting cultural resources to unavoidable natural causes is being blamed for the fact that a small brush fire grew into an uncontrolled inferno now enveloping Mesa Verde. "Right now there is a lot of finger-pointing going on," said Commissioner Kent Lindsay on Monday. Lindsay, along with commissioners Kelly Wilson and Gene Story, was critical of a federal law that limits where a fire break can be cleared because of cultural ruins that may lie buried. Each fire crew clearing fuels and overturning soil in front of a fire is required to have an archaeologist on hand who directs the line around potential sites. But when, or if, that law can be superseded by the need to quickly contain a fire threatening to rage out of control and cause extensive property damage needs to be decided, the commissioners said. Fire officials report that fighting the Bircher Fire has been delayed by rules established by the National Historic Preservation Act, which require an archaeologist’s go-ahead before a section of federal lands is disturbed. "Our biggest stumbling block is getting qualified archaeologists in front of the equipment," said Tom Kelly, fire manager for the Dolores-Mancos Ranger District. The blaze reportedly started on private property, owned by the Bircher family, bordering Mesa Verde National Park. Lindsay said that when the fire-break crews using a bulldozer reached the national-park boundary on the west end of the rapidly expanding fire, work was halted. "Another 300 yards could have made a difference," Lindsay said. "We might not be where we are today if our Cats could have gone farther on the firebreak." JoAnne Hayes, a resident on County Road 37 with a clear view of the original blaze, said on Thursday that she had alerted fire officials last Saturday to a tree near the park boundary that was on fire, possibly as a result of lightning. She said crews arrived and worked to put it out, but apparently did not extinguish it fully, and the tree smoldered for several days, flaring up again on Thursday. "The same tree was burning again so I called in again, I guess it was not put out the first time," Hayes said. Terry Moores, a homebuilder who watched the fire from County Road 38, believes the fire could have been contained earlier and prevented from reaching the ridge. In a letter to Sen. Ben Campbell, Moores stated that as of Friday morning the blaze had not reached the mesa top, yet, "I saw no aircraft, or other firefighting activity or personnel." But what could have been done is irrelevant, Lindsay said, because the extremely dry conditions over the last several months were the real culprit for the fire. "It is so dry out there right now it is incredible," he said. "After the fire reached the mesa it raced across it in 10 minutes. It is like the devil up there, sucking up oxygen and creating its own wind and weather." Officials said that other fires in Hovenweep, Craig and Pagosa Springs have stretched resources needed for the Bircher fire. Parched area provides perfect fuel for flames
By Gail Binkly Mother Nature started it, and it looks as though only Mother Nature can really put it out. Until the weather changes from hot, dry and windy, the towering, angry Bircher Fire probably will continue to burn, fire officials acknowledge. "Smoky the Bear was a good idea," said Tim Oliverius, fire-management officer at Mesa Verde National Park, on Saturday. "But unfortunately Smoky led people to think that when wildfires get bad we can have a big impact on them. "Particularly when there’s areas like this — mostly all roadless out there and with heavy fuel-loading — and you don’t want to lose any firefighters, there’s limits to what you can do." The Bircher Fire, which had consumed 22,000 acres or more by Monday afternoon, is being exacerbated by the extreme dryness of the fuels in the area and erratic weather that the fire itself is helping to create. Like most of the region, Montezuma County is suffering through a long drought. While precipitation was adequate through the early months of the year, May, June and July have been exceptionally dry. In Cortez, May precipitation was just 0.25 inches, 28 percent of the normal average, according to local weather forecaster Jim Andrus. Cortez received 0.13 inches of rain in June (27 percent of normal), Andrus said, and so far in July, 0.55 inches have fallen on the city (44 percent of normal). As a result, vegetation in the area is thoroughly dried out and conditions are perhaps even worse than they were during the summer of 1996, when the Chapin 5 fire scorched nearly 5,000 acres at Mesa Verde. "In comparison to ’96, I’d say we’re worse off," said Oliverius. "Three months ago I’d say we weren’t quite as bad, but we’re right now about 55 percent of where we should be for precipitation up in the park." Fire experts categorize fuels according to the amount of time it takes them to "reach equilibrium with their environment," Oliverius said. For instance, one-hour fuels such as blades of grass and pine needles react rapidly to their environment. If they are dried out and rain falls, they become moist fast. Ten-hour fuels are plant material that is one-quarter to 1 inch in diameter, he said, while 100-hour fuels are 1 to 3 inches in diameter (such as tree limbs) and 1,000-hour fuels 3 inches or more. The larger fuels are much slower to react to changes in moisture, he said, and probably are never quite in equilibrium with their surroundings. When there is a prolonged drought, it takes a considerable amount of time for larger fuels to recover, Oliverius said. "When we get a half-inch of rain, people think the fire ban should come off immediately," he said. In fact, piñon and juniper limbs may still be quite dry. At Mesa Verde, dead one-hour fuels, such as fallen pine needles, are at approximately 1 percent moisture, the 10s are at 2 percent, and the 1,000-hour fuels are at 7 or 8, Oliverius said — well below the levels at which they will burn readily. Many of the ponderosa-pine, piñon, and juniper trees in and around the blaze may be 200 or 300 years old, according to Linda Towle, chief of research and resource management at Mesa Verde. A lack of recent fires in much of the area has resulted in a substantial fuel build-up that is helping to stoke the flames. Feasting on those highly flammable fuels, the fire has grown to such proportions that it is creating its own weather zone, according to Chuck Maxwell of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. "In extreme hot and dry conditions, you tend to get plume-dominated fire behavior," Maxwell said Sunday. Heat from the fire rises, creating winds and erratic weather, he said. "The fire behavior has been quite erratic and extreme," he said. "We’ve also been seeing some dry lightning and thunder in the area, so these are pretty much the worst conditions you could get for fire behavior." The fire draws cold air in toward it, creating winds that fan the flames, he explained. At one point this weekend, the fire was burning in a canyon and winds were blowing at 15-20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph — all created by the fire itself, Maxwell said. Little relief is in sight soon from the weather. "Most of the moisture is locked up just off to the southwest," Maxwell said. Under such conditions, firefighters concentrate on containing rather than extinguishing the flames, explained Justin Dombrowski, wildland-fire-management officer at the Bircher Fire. Containment is achieved by creating some sort of fire break around the perimeter of the blaze, either by digging a fire line or laying down water or fire retardant, he said. Firefighters are not sent into areas where the blaze is burning heavily. "When you have 200-foot flames, there’s nothing you can do," he said. "You stick a firefighter in front of it and they’re going to die. You drop retardant on it and you waste your retardant." The Bircher Fire is quite unusual, said Dombrowski. "We’ve been having some pretty amazing fire behavior," Dombrowski said. "This is one of the more extreme fire events I’ve ever seen," he said. Area residents should not expect it to be extinguished soon. "This is a long-term fire," said Dombrowski. "It’s been going several days now, and it’s going to go at least several more." Fair forced to move By Katharhynn Heidelberg A change in the county’s summer plans has been necessitated by the fires raging across the area. Because the fairgrounds, where the popular Montezuma County Fair usually takes place, are currently occupied as the base camp for fire crews battling the Bircher and other fires, the Montezuma County commissioners decided Monday to move the fair to the American Legion grounds. While this may necessitate an altered schedule, things should be "business as usual, just at a different location," according to publicity chairman Jana Belcher. Postponement of the fair is not really an option. Time is of essence, because of the state fair in mid-August. Fair participants need to know if they are eligible to proceed to the state level, which can only be determined by placing in the county fair, Belcher said. The fair’s board of directors held an executive meeting Monday night to hammer out scheduling details. As of press time, the results of this meeting were not available. However, the fair committee is seeking volunteer help. Interested parties may contact Jack Niemann at 759-0401, Belcher said. The fair’s change in location has also affected events normally held at the American Legion grounds. Local organizers for Share the Harvest announced Monday that the distribution that usually takes place at the Legion grounds will be moved to 1217 Twenty Mule Team Drive on Aug. 1. Distribution will resume at the Legion grounds as usual for September. The news remains good for Mancos Days, the premier event of the Mancos Valley. "As far as I know, there is no change, " said Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce director Jan Koppri. "(It’s) Mancos Days as usual. .Too many plans are in place." A member of the Mancos Colorado Days Association confirmed this, saying the event "will go as usual," from Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30. Donations
of food, fluids welcomed by crews
Local residents who want to contribute to the
firefighting effort can take them to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office
at the Justice Complex in Cortez between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sheriff’s Lt. Kalvin Boggs said Monday that bottled
water, Gatorade, and other fluids are particularly welcome, as well as food,
he said. "Those donations are greatly appreciated," he
said. Citizens have been asking how they can help out and even
bringing donations to the incident command center at the fairgrounds. "People just waltzed in here with food. Everyone’s been pretty
wonderful," said Tracy Hobson, resource unit leader trainee at the
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