LAS ANIMAS COUNTY— The Trujillo Creek fire, which began last Monday afternoon, is now considered 90% contained, with a few hot spots being mopped up by the Spanish Peaks Bon Carbo Fire District. According to Las Animas County Emergency Manager Joe Richards, the fire was held to 120 acres, all in the Trujillo Creek basin.
The fire burned right up to the top of the ridgeline and threatened to spill over into Mauricio canyon, but constant water dumps from helicopters, and at least three ‘bomb loads’ of fire retardant slurry from large aircraft kept it from spreading into the next drainage. The helicopters pulled water from local ponds, making their turnaround time much quicker.
The state took control of managing the fire by Tuesday afternoon, allowing more resources to be brought in, including three HotShot crews. Spotter planes have been flying low over the firesite, looking for hot spots with infrared cameras.
“The good thing about it being this early in the season, is we’re getting resources that wouldn’t be available during the peak of the season,” Richards said.
Two structures were lost at the beginning of the fire, and the source of the blaze is still under investigation. The state returned control of the fire back over to the SPBCFD on Tuesday.
“I’m hopeful that within a week, we’ll have it out,” Richards said.
Richards had nothing but praise for all the agencies working together, as well as the community, which kept the firefighters fed with three hot meals a day. “Even the state guys commented on that,” he added.
Anyone wishing to donate monetarily to the local volunteer fire departments to help offset the costs of fighting this fire, may send checks to:
SPVFD
PO Box 156
Aguilar, CO 81020
