Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The 4,400-acre Green Creek fire has not been fully contained, fire officials said Wednesday.

The blaze was expected to be contained Monday evening, but increasing fire activity spurred on by high temperatures, low humidity and dry conditions has delayed progress.

Bob Sandman, incident commander of the Northern Rockies Type II Incident Management Team that assumed responsibility of the fire Tuesday, stressed the fire is not out.

The fire, which is burning 15 miles southeast of Steamboat Springs in the Sarvis Creek Wilderness area, is 89 percent contained. There are 342 people assigned to the fire.

Fire officials are now anticipating full containment by Friday. Fire managers must still confirm that natural barriers are sufficient enough to contain the fire in the wilderness where lines have not been constructed.

An open field or a rocky face might serve as a natural barrier to the spread of fire.

Crews continue to work on the eastern edge of the blaze. Hot spots, however, continue to pop up.

The U.S. Forest Service has revised its closure of roads in the area of the Green Creek fire.

Forest Service officials said the closures are necessary to ensure the public's safety and curtail conflict between firefighters and people who use the forest.

Closures that are in effect:

n From the intersection of U.S. 40 and Forest Road No. 100 south on Forest Road No. 100 to Little Green Creek.

n East on Little Green Creek to the National Forest boundary.

n South along the National Forest boundary to Frantz Creek.

n From Frantz Creek to Forest Road No. 100 at the northern edge of Buffalo Park.

n North on Forest Road No. 100 to the intersection of Forest Trail No. 1105 to the forest boundary.

n East on Harrison Creek to Forest Road No. 303.

n North along Forest Road No. 303 to the intersection of Forest Road No. 251.

n North on Forest Road No. 251 to U.S. 40.

n East on U.S. 40 to the intersection of Forest Road No. 100.

Those who disregard road or trail closures face fines up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail.

Resources on the Mount Zirkel Complex fire now total 818. The combined acreage remained an estimated 35,583 acres and the fire is 20 percent contained.

Revised closures issued for the area around the Mount Zirkel Complex:

n From the Continental Divide on trail FDT 1130 east to the forest boundary.

n North to Brown Creek to Ute Pass Trail (No. 1128) and west to the Continental Divide.

n From the intersection of the Continental Divide and Ute Pass Trail, north along the Continental Divide to the intersection of the Hair Trail (FDT 1199) and the Continental Divide Trail (FDT 1101), south and west to the summit of Farwell Mountain.

n To the east along Coulton Creek to the Seedhouse Road (FDR 400).

n East on Seedhouse Road to Forest Road 440 to 441 to 468 and onto Forest Road No. 471 to the Mount Zirkel Wilderness boundary.

n Following the ridge south of the Big Creek Drainage to include Big Creek Lake.

Information about closures can also be obtained at www.fs.fed.us/r2/mbr.

Fire officials are saying the potential for fire activity within the Mount Zirkel Complex remains high.

Recent moderate fire activity has allowed crews to reinforce and build new lines on the Hinman and Burn Ridge fires.

No major runs have been reported, but the fire still remained deeply embedded in areas where fuels are thick.

A fire use management team is managing the Big Fish and Lost Lakes fires. The fires are being monitored and show potential to expand, but during the last two days have not shown the behavior that produced heavy smoke that drifted over Steamboat Monday.

Crews continue to mop up and reinforce line on the Sugar Loaf Fire north of Hayden.