MEEKER | Firefighters from the Northwest Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit continue to manage the Hunt Fire on Bureau of Land Management land. Lightning ignited the fire in Rio Blanco County on Thursday, Sept. 5. It is remotely located, burning in thick brush on ridges and valleys north of the Roan Plateau.
Fire crews were successful with burning operations along Big Jimmy Road (BLM Road 1011) yesterday, completing a portion of their target. Conditions should be excellent today for burning out additional pockets of fuels south of a gas pipeline to the north of the fire.
The Hunt Fire is now 40% contained, and has increased to 2,697 acres following yesterday’s burn. Weather is forecasted to be sunny and clear. High temperatures are expected to climb to 80 today, with light winds of 8 – 12 miles per hour, gusting to 16.
The area closure for the Hunt Fire (Closure Order #CONOS000-19-01) is still in effect. The area closure includes public lands and routes within an area north of Rio Blanco/Garfield County line, east of Hunter Creek Road, west of West Willow Creek Road, and extending north to County Road 5, including Big Jimmy Gulch. The BLM recognizes the impact that the fire and area closure may have on hunters, and aims to open up public access to as much of the area as possible, as soon as it is safe to do so.
Fire managers’ objective is to keep the fire north of the Rio Blanco/Garfield County line, south of a gas pipeline that is located north of the fire, east of Hunter Creek and west of West Willow Creek.
A total of 58 personnel are assigned to the fire, including one hand crew, one module, and five engines. For the latest information about the Hunt Fire, visit the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Facebook Page, @RioBlancoCountySheriffsOffice, or on Inciweb at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6583/
