Crews continued to fight the Cow Creek fire in northern Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, though the park and most trails remained open.
The fire near Mount Dickinson was burning in heavy timber between 9,700 feet and 10,000 feet, according to the National Forest Service.
“Although fire operations are continuing, the ongoing activities in Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park community are a perfect example of how fire and daily life can coexist,” incident commander Todd Pechota said in a news release.
Cow Creek Trail and two others were closed because of heavy traffic as firefighters battled the blaze.
A crew of 21 worked the fire line, while an eight-member crew used chain saws to cut down timber, and eight fire engines stood by to protect the small community of Glen Haven, said Laura McConnell, a spokeswoman for the Rocky Mountain Type 2 Incident Management team.
An estimated 1,500 acres has burned since the blaze was first reported Thursday.
“The fire is hung up in an area; it is not growing,” McConnell said. “We have had cooler temperatures and so far it is behaving itself.”
A tanker plane working a smaller blaze called the Round Mountain fire west of Loveland was taking off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County on Saturday when its brake system failed. The plane tore through a fence and its engine caught fire. No one was hurt.
Authorities temporarily grounded three other tanker planes as a safety measure.
“There was too much commotion going on at the airport,” said Steve Segin, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center.
Rain began to fall shortly after the planes were grounded, decreasing the need for the aircraft.
The rain helped tamp down the 150-acre Round Mountain blaze, which was expected to be fully contained Sunday night.
National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, and Forest Service Aviation Safety personnel are investigating the crash.
The Medano fire in Great Sand Dunes National Park, which started June 6, continued to burn. The blaze is contained and doesn’t threaten any structures.
The 630-acre Parkdale wildfire west of Cañon City was contained, and crews who had been fighting it were moved to the Medano blaze, Segin said.
“For June, this is typical of the fire activity we see,” he said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
