Firefighters have stopped fighting the Cosgrove Canyon wildfire 8 miles north of Grand Junction because the blaze only spread from 10 to 15 acres during the day Saturday, officials said.
Authorities said that instead of fighting the fire, they will monitor it given a National Weather Service’s forecast for rain Sunday.
The last of the fire crews, engines and equipment left the area Saturday afternoon ahead of the predicted rain. Equipment can become stuck on rain slick roads or in washouts on the roads.
The wildfire swelled by 200 acres to 1,610 acres late Friday and early Saturday but had spread 15 acres of less during the day Saturday, officials said.
Winds have settled down and relative humidity Saturday rose into the double digits limiting the spread of the fire.
The blaze, ignited Sunday by lightening, is in the remote Little Bookcliffs Wilderness Study Area.
Plans and activities for rehabilitating the effected area are already in place, including reseeding, said Norm Rooker, fire information officer.
