ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
Firefighters from multiple agencies scrambled to snuff a small wildfire that broke out at the base of Crown Mountain at about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters from Roaring Fork Fire Rescue and assisting agencies climbed an estimated 300 feet up the steep slope directly behind Happy Day Ranch, where Hooks Lane and Emma Road converge in an elbow. The firefighters ran water hoses up the slope and established a perimeter around the fire in the shape of a large triangle.
“They flanked the right side, flanked the left side and pinched it at the top,” said Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Chief Scott Thompson. “This was hard because it’s very steep terrain.”
Thompson said two single-engine tankers and a helicopter had been ordered to aid the firefighting. They were canceled at about 4 p.m. once commanders were confident the fire was contained, he said. He estimated the fire at 5 acres.
The fire broke out along a ditch just below a large horse riding arena on a property known as Elk Run Ranch. Ranch employees had a permit to burn ditches. They reported they had quit at about 10:30 a.m. when winds started to gust. They thought the fire was out and went about other business, Thompson said.
“This was a rekindle,” he said. An investigator from Roaring Fork Fire Rescue was on the scene late Wednesday afternoon.
Shortly after Thompson reported to the site, flames were leaping 30 to 50 feet in the air. There was green pasture leading up to the ditch. The terrain above was choked with oak and other brush. One concern was that the fire could burn poles for a powerline that leads to the top of Crown Mountain, where emergency response communications infrastructure is located.
“It could have gone to the top of Crown Mountain,” Thompson said. A few homes also are located there.
Firefighters from Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Aspen and the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit assisted in the effort. Deputies responded from the Pitkin and Eagle county sheriff’s offices.
Thompson said the firefighters that scrambled up the slopes either had to go in areas either already burned or thickly vegetated. Either way, it was a tough chore they pulled off admirably, he said.
No structures were threatened by the fire although some horses were evacuated as a precaution. They were allowed to be returned shortly before 5 p.m. One house was near the fire but no one was there, according to Thompson. Hooks Lane was closed briefly to keep it clear for fire engines. Smoke filled the El Jebel area until about 4 p.m.
A “wet line” was established around the perimeter of the fire to prevent its spread. Water was hauled to the site via tender trucks. The plan was to “keep working it” until dark and return Thursday to look for hotspots, Thompson said.