The Spruce Creek Fire was a wildfire that burned in
Montezuma County, in the
U.S. State
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. It was active from May 14 until May 31, 2024, when it was declared 100% contained. It was the first fire of the
2024 Colorado wildfire season, and is currently the 2nd-largest as of August 2.
Progression
The fire started on May 14, approximately 11 miles northeast of
Dolores. From then to May 22, the fire rapidly spread, reaching 1,644 and then1,867 acres in coverage by the late hours of May 22. 172 personnel were assigned to the fire.
Firefighters secured northern and western fire perimeters, and protected historic sites threatened by the fire. By May 23, the fire had reached 4,672 acres, and on May 24, the fire had rapidly grown to 5,699 acres, its maximum size.
Firefighters shifted to containment of the fire on roads, and two aerial ignition teams were put into place to aid with the task.
On May 25, the fire was declared 43% contained, and the number of personnel responding to the fire, dropped to 168.
A
bulldozer
A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large tractor equipped with a metal #Blade, blade at the front for pushing material (soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock) during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, ...
was dispatched to repair roads damaged on covered as a result of the fire.
Fire activity began to slow down on May 26, and containment on the fires jumped to 63%. The bulldozer that was dispatched the day prior cleared roads in the Haycamp Mesa area.
By May 27, the fire was 73% contained and fire crews patrolled the fire's outer perimeter, to contain it within its footprint.
Firefighters were able to contain 83% of the fire by May 28, and the area was reopened to the public.
The fire was then transferred back into the hands of the
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezum ...
services, and the fire was deemed 100% contained by May 31.
Growth and containment table
References
{{2024 wildfires
2024 Colorado wildfires
July 2024 in the United States
Montezuma County, Colorado