Firefighting crews and aircraft were able to gain some ground on the Spring Creek 2 wildfire burning southwest of Parachute, officials for the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday night.
The fire had burned 589 acres of land in Mesa and Garfield counties by 8 p.m. Saturday, officials said. The acreage was unchanged from six hours earlier.
The Spring Creek 2, which ignited Friday and is situated east of the intersection of County Road 306 and X 5/10 Road, has burned four out buildings, three trailers, three vehicles and several power poles as of 8 p.m. Saturday, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. No primary residences have been lost.
The fire started Friday afternoon on a private property in Garfield County and exceeded 500 acres by 12:30 p.m. Saturday, officials said.
That prompted a voluntary evacuation order, which spanned about two dozen homes in the Housetop Mesa Estates Subdivision as well as areas of Housetop Mountain Road and Mesa County Road 306. Officials with the Sheriff’s Office went door-to-door and also issued a reverse 911 for the affected area.
Residents were told to take Wallace Creek Road to Mesa County Road 300 toward Battlement Mesa and to check in at Grand Valley Fire Station, 124 Stone Quarry Road, which is serving as the evacuation center.
“It’s a widespread area and a lot of the homes do have livestock and horses,” she said. “It’s going to take some time for them to evacuate. That’s whey they wanted to get them started.”
As of 2 p.m., the active portion of the fire started heading up a ridge nearly a mile away from the evacuation area.
“If it crests over that ridge, then the afternoon winds could push it toward that evacuation area,” she said just before 3 p.m.
Firefighters from multiple agencies utilized air resources, engines, water tenders and hand crews to battle the fire, officials said. All-day air drops were effective in slowing the flames’ forward progress, sheriff’s office officials added.
The air drops are expected to continue on Saturday while ground crews are expected to build containment lines, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
The agencies fighting the fire include the Grand Valley Fire Protection District, De Beque Fire Protection District, Garfield County, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Land Management, Mesa County, and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
Of the 589 acres burned, 205 acres are in Mesa County, 350 acres are in Garfield County and 34 acres are on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property. Only emergency vehicles have access on County Road 306 between Spring Creek Road and Wallace Creek Road.
Evacuated residents who are in need of assistance can contact the Red Cross at 970-242-4851 and press “1,” officials said.
