YOUR AD HERE »

Peekaboo Fire near Craig grows to 11,700 acres, has no containment

Krista Driscoll
kdriscoll@vaildaily.com
The Peekaboo Fire is burning in remote terrain about 50 miles west of Craig.
Bureau of Land Management Colorado Fire | Special to the Daily |

Peekaboo Fire

Location: 44 miles northwest of Maybell, about 50 miles west of Craig.

Start date: June 27.

Size: 11,700 acres.

Contained: 0 percent.

Total personnel: 200.

Cause: Lightning.

More information: Online at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5328, #peekaboofire, http://www.facebook.com/peekaboofireinfo; by phone at 970-329-1008; or by email at peekaboofire@gmail.com.

CRAIG — One of the largest active wildfires in the state, the Peekaboo Fire, increased to 11,700 acres Friday, with no reported containment percentage, according to a statement posted to the InciWeb Incident Information System on Saturday afternoon.

According to a news release from the Bureau of Land Management, the Peekaboo Fire is burning in pinion, juniper, grass and sagebrush on Peekaboo Ridge on BLM property about 50 miles west of Craig. Several ranches, multiple ranch structures, Dinosaur National Monument and Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge are located near the fire.

Moffat County Road 10N reopened at 11 a.m. Saturday, and fire officials expect the road to remain open, unless conditions change. Smoke can be seen from many locations in northwest Colorado, as well as Utah and Wyoming, according to a BLM news release.



On Friday, firefighters north of the fire scouted safe access to the fire line. On the south and southwestern portions of the fire, firefighters and air resources focused on structure protection and keeping the fire north of Colorado Highway 318.

According to the latest InciWeb report, several large air tankers and single-engine air tankers made retardant drops to limit the fire spread to the south and southwest. In the afternoon, strong outflow winds from passing thunderstorms pushed the fire in numerous directions, making control difficult.

Support Local Journalism



On Saturday, crews were working to build direct containment lines, where feasible. Their efforts were focused on engaging the fire where it was safe to do so and where they would have a high probability of success. Limited resources, combined with challenging access to the fire, were making it difficult to meet the full suppression strategy.

Additional helicopters from the Colorado National Guard were expected to arrive on Saturday to assist firefighters on the ground. A temporary flight restriction is in place around the fire to allow air operations to proceed safely.

Regional fire crews utilize the InciWeb Incident Information System to update the public on current fire conditions and wildfire status. Visit inciweb.nwcg.gov to learn more.


Support Local Journalism