Fire sparked near Burns
EAGLE COUNTY — A small fire on federal land northwest of Burns stayed small but drew a quick response from firefighters.
The fire was reported Wednesday, and by Thursday it had grown to about three acres. Chris Farenetti, a Bureau of Land Management fire management officer based in Grand Junction, said a fire line had been dug around the fire area as of Thursday afternoon.
Federal fire officials sent one truck and two crews of firefighters to the scene Wednesday. No air support was called in.
Chris Joyner, a public affairs specialist with the bureau’s Grand Junction office, said Thursday that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but early indications point to a lightning strike in dry brush in the area.
Moisture levels in living plants in the area are much better than this time in 2012, but there are some areas of dry plants that are more prone to wildfire, he said.
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While conditions are better than they were a year ago, Joyner said he hopes people continue to be cautious with fire in the backcountry.
“Everybody last year did an excellent job,” Joyner said. “We only had one large human-caused fire in the area — the others were lightning caused.
Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com.