Eagle County, Colorado — At 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, a quickly-growing fire was reported southeast of Dotsero and was still active that evening. That same day, three different fires broke out in Eagle County.
Dubbed the South 133 Fire, crews are fighting its spread from the ground and air.
Larry Sandoval, the field manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Silt office, addressed the Eagle County community Tuesday night in a Facebook update. Sandoval said the fire is estimated to be 25 acres in size, and the cause of the fire remains unknown, although a lightning strike from afternoon thunderstorms is suspected.
The South 133 Fire continues to burn in sagebrush, juniper and pinyon south of Interstate 70 at mile marker 133 between Gypsum and Dotsero. The fire grew quickly, aided by light winds. The sound of a helicopter from the Colorado National Guard’s High Altitude Aviation Training Site soon echoed through the valley after the fire started billowing smoke.
There were no pre-evacuation orders in place and no threat to private property, Sandoval said as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Multiple firefighting resources were used Tuesday to combat the blaze, including a type-1 helicopter, a large air tanker and ground crews.
Read more on this story at Summit Daily.
