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Update: Firefighters suppress Yampa Fire that burned 97 acres near U.S. 40 west of Maybell

Staff Report
The 97-acre Yampa Fire approached close to U.S. Highway 40 in a brief run Monday evening west of Maybell, causing temporary closure of the highway. Fire crews were able to suppress the fire within a couple hours of responding.
Courtesy/Moffat County Sheriff’s Office |

Wildland fire crews responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. Monday for a lightning-caused fire that flared up U.S. Highway 40 west of Maybell, according to Moffat County Sheriff KC Hume.

The 97-acre Yampa Fire grew quickly at first, burning on private land near mile marker 46 in the vicinity of Moffat County Road 85 and Deerlodge Park Road. Crews had to temporarily close the highway because of heavy smoke and the proximity of the fire to the road.

But firefighters and multiple air resources from the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Land Management, Maybell Fire Department and Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control acted quickly and suppressed the fire shortly after 8 p.m., Hume said.



Also assisting on fire and traffic control were Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation and Moffat County Road & Bridge.

No structures or infrastructure were affected and the flames were out as of Tuesday, with possible smoldering sections in the interior, Hume said.


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