Firefighters have contained the one-acre Taylor Mountain Fire near Allenspark after a fire manager in an airplane spotted smoke Saturday.
Will Briggs, a fire management officer with Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest, was on a lightning storm reconnaissance mission Saturday afternoon when he saw the smoke in a fuel treatment area near Taylor Mountain, said officials with the U.S. Forest Service.
About 40 fire personnel from the Allenspark Fire Department, Alpine Interagency Hotshot Crew, Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest, Boulder Task Force and Lefthand Fire Protection District contained the fire by 10 p.m. Saturday, fire officials said.
The officials say they expect fire will be completely controlled by Monday evening.
Recon missions are requested by fire officers who work in the national forest, said Elsha Kirby, a spokeswoman for the South zone of the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest.
Last week, lightning struck 1,000 times in or near the forest, prompting Briggs to request the flight, Kirby said.
Twelve fires in 2010 were by to lightning strikes and 44 were human-caused, Kirby said. Most years there is an even split between the two causes.
Kirby said it is difficult to put a dollar amount on the cost savings from recon missions.
Fire managers on those flights can spot the fire and respond more quickly, preventing the fire from spreading and homes from getting destroyed.
Another “lucky” aspect of the Taylor Mountain Fire was its placement in a fuel treatment area, said Ed LeBlanc, Forest Service incident commander.
Fuel treatment areas are parcels of land thinned by the National Forest System to aid in fire suppression.
Kirby said the fire serves as a reminder to how easily some wildfires start.
“We always ask folks to be careful when they go out into the woods,” Kirby said. “They need to know the risks associated and the things that require extra care.”
Analisa Romano: 303-954-1698 or aromano@denverpost.com
