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Firefighters report progress against Boone Draw Fire in western Moffat County; blaze now exceeds 8,000 acres

Smoke rises from the Boone Draw Fire, which is burning in more than 6,000 acres near the Sand Wash Wild Horse Management Area.
Moffat County Sheriff’s Office/courtesy

SANDWASH BASIN — Firefighters on Saturday reported decreased activity in the Boone Draw Fire, which ignited in western Moffat County just before noon Thursday, Sept. 13, despite continued hot, dry, and windy weather.

According to a news release from the Bureau of Land Management Kremmling Field Office, firefighters were able to achieve 40-percent containment of the blaze, which has grown to an estimated 8,300 acres.

The fire is burning in pinyon-juniper, grass, and sage on Bureau of Land Management lands and private property in the southwestern corner of the Sandwash Basin Herd Management Area, about 50 miles west of Craig and north of Colorado Highway 318.

According to the BLM release, no structures or other infrastructure are currently threatened, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The growing blaze has prompted the closures of three county roads in the area — Moffat County roads 46, 52, and 67 — as well as the emergency, temporary closure of public lands in the vicinity of the fire. However, the BLM advises that visitors wishing to view the wild horses of the Sand Wash Basin can access the herd management area by way of Moffat County Road 72, along the Sevenmile Ridge area north of the fire.

For more information about the closure areas, visit InciWeb Incident Information System at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6207.

Though Colorado Highway 318 remains open, InciWeb cautions the roadway could be impacted by temporary lane closures or other delays as required by fire behavior or suppression activities.

InciWeb further projects outlook for the fire remains “extreme” due to forecasts calling for continued hot, dry weather, with strong winds.

About 150 firefighters, including personnel from Moffat County, BLM, and other agencies, are currently working to suppress and fully contain the fire. In addition, other resources, including engines, hand crews, Type 1 and 3 helicopters, and single engine air tankers have also been assigned to the effort.

Three Wash Fire

Meanwhile, the Three Wash Fire — which was reported about the same time as the Boone Draw Fire — continues burning along Colo. 318 west of Maybell, but unlike its larger counterpart to the west.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, the Three Wash Fire was still holding at 369 acres.

Moffat County and BLM-administered lands within the Little Snake Field Office remain under Stage 1 fire restrictions. For more information about the restrictions, visit the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office webpage.

Contact Jim Patterson at 970-875-1790 or jpatterson@CraigDailyPress.com.


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