Fire crews are making progress with the Decker fire burning 2 miles south of Salida, but gusty winds, low humidity and warm temperatures have led to another red flag warning on Sunday in the area of the fire.
Officials urged residents to drive with caution, particularly as critical fire weather conditions are forecast for the day, according to a news release.
The 7,326 acre fire is 30% contained, with more than 755 people working it, the release stated. Some road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County remain in effect, the release stated.
For information on the closures, , and .
Four south metro firefighters deployed to the fire Sunday to assist.
Four South Metro firefighters are deploying to the burning near Salida, CO. The wildland fire crew left Station 41 in Type 3 Brush Engine 41 this morning. They could be at the for up to 14 days if needed. Stay warm ❄️ and safe!
— South Metro Fire Rescue (@SouthMetroPIO)
Crews are starting mop-up and cleanup efforts around the fire, ignited by lighting Sept. 8, and plan to continue monitoring certain sections of the fire, said Mike Tombolato, operations section chief, in a Facebook update for residents. That includes backhauling some equipment away from the fire area.
Firefighters started burning operations on the west side of the fire Saturday and worked through the night, Tombolato said.
“They went well. The conditions were very challenging,” he said. A small section will be completed Sunday, Tombolato added.
A spot fire to the southeast of the Decker fire began showing smoke Saturday, triggering pre-evacuations, in parts of the Howard community, to the east of the fire, Tombolato said.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality advisory for 4 p.m. Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday for wildfire smoke in southeastern Chaffee and northwestern Fremont counties, including Salida, Cleora, Wellsville, Howard, Coaldale and Cotopaxi. The agency encouraged residents who see thick smoke to remain indoors.
For more information on the Decker fire, visit the .
Wildfires in Colorado and the U.S.
The map shows active wildfire locations in 2019. The map defaults to Colorado; to see all wildfires, click “U.S.” in the view area. Click the map layers icon in the top right corner of the map to change map backgrounds and to toggle active and contained fires. Click a marker or perimeter for details. To view the full map and a table of all wildfires, click here.
*Data comes from two sources, and , and could contain inconsistencies. Map by Kevin Hamm and Daniel J. Schneider.