Update on Calwood and Lefthand Canyon Fire
Monday, October 26, 2020, 9:00 am.
Rocky Mountain Team Black Incident Management Team
Troy Hagan, incident commander
Snow Over Fire Decreases Fire Activity
Current Situation: The Calwood Fire received up to 13 inches of snow at high altitudes and remains 76 % content. Minimum activity was seen in the fire on Sunday given to the storm. Minimum heat and smoke was observed while the lines remained strong. Temperatures are expected to drop Monday morning as a cold front continues to move around the area.
Firefighters will continue fire monitoring for hot spots or some movement. Fire activity is expected to decline extremely given to low temperatures and snow. When it ceases to be dangerous, equipment will again start increasing containment by improving and cleaning lines around the fire.
Fire commanders will continue to monitor the weather to determine when their crews are no longer dangerous to return to containment lines and work. A method used by cleaning equipment is called ′′ cooling tracking “. Cooling tracking is a method of removing heat from the edge of the fire by inspecting carefully and feeling areas on earth with bare hand. If heat is detected, firefighters use hand tools to scale the area to release heat and add water to cool the area.
Weather and Fuel Conditions: Monday’s forecast is cloudy sky with a high temperature of 16 degrees. It’s possible that the cold wind hits as low as-3 degrees temperature. There are 40 percent of snow chance before 11 am; a total snow accumulation may reach less than half an inch. Wind is expected to be light and variable. This afternoon will be clearer, with temperatures as low as 5 degrees and cold wind as low as-5 degrees. Record low temperatures are possible overnight until Tuesday morning. The snow layer will stay above ground until Tuesday morning. It will gradually start warming up with high temperatures in the 30 s on Tuesday and 40 s on Wednesday and Thursday.
Closures and Evacuations: Boulder County has removed evacuation orders and evacuation warnings over the weekend; please visit their website for more information at https://bouldercounty.maps.arcgis.com/…/index.html…. For full information on evacuations for the two fires, please visit https://arcg.is/0Lq5fD or visit https://boulderoem.com.
The United States Forest Service put temporary closure on Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Grand, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder and Larimer counties; for more information on these emergency closures, please visit https://go.usa.gov/x7CZJ .. Boulder Hill County Parks and Open Spaces many properties for public use on Wednesday; for more information on these closures, please visit https://boco.org/BCPOSfireclosures.
Air Quality: Granby and Hot Sulphur Springs will have good air quality Monday. Grand County valleys can have a moderate level of smoke. Lyons, Longmont and areas near Boulder may have good to moderate smoke levels. Denver, Chatfield and points south will have good air quality.
Emergency Alerts: Boulder County has a notification system that lets county residents know about emergency situations. Notifications may be received in various forms including cell phone or landline by text and / or email. Sign up for these alerts by visiting the website www.Boco911Alert.com.
Calwood Fire Stats:
Size: 10,105 acres
Containment: 76 %
Personal Total: 374
Location: 3 miles N of Jamestown, CO
Reported: October 17
Cause: Under investigation
Lefthand Canyon Fire Statistics:
Size: 460 acres
Containment: 100 %
Personal Total: 20
Location: 1 mile E of Ward, CO
Reported: October 18
Cause: Under investigation
For more information:
Fire Information Office: (720)- 310-5598
Boulder County Call Center: (303) 413-7730
Interactive History Map: https://arcg.is/1ybX0u
CalWood InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7245/
Lefthand Canyon Inciweb:
Facebook: @CalWoodAndLefthandCynFires
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