Black Mountain Fire grows to 393 acres

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Officials report the Black Mountain Fire burning primarily on National Forest land in Grand County is now at 393 acres.

In an update provided Tuesday evening, fire officials said the increase in size is due to continued slow growth as well as better mapping through flight tracking.

The fire was reported at 170 acres Tuesday morning.

The Black Mountain Fire is moving through heavy timber in a high, remote area, but it is holding with lines of retardant being used to box in the fire, according to fire officials.

Aerial Operations dropped retardant throughout the day to fortify the area around the fire perimeter, fire officials said.

Crews, heavy equipment and other resources are being brought in to develop “primary, alternate, contingency and emergency fireline.”

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Boulder said rain and increased moisture moving over the area Wednesday should help firefighting efforts.

The Black Mountain Fire, which is burning about 8 miles northeast of Kremmling and just west of the East Troublesome Fire burn scar, was first reported around 1 p.m. Sunday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Residents living in K11 and the west side of HHS21 were told Sunday to prepare for possible evacuation orders if fire conditions worsen. View the pre-evacuation areas here.

The Bureau of Land Management closed public lands on the south by Highway 40, on the west by County Road 2, on the east by County Road 21 and on the north by Arapaho National Forest lands.

While the fire remains relatively small, firefighters told Denver7 Monday they are concerned about the potential growth as dead and downed timber fuel the flames.

“The area where the fire is at is fairly similar country to where the East Troublesome Fire started last year, and we all know what happened with that fire,” said Aaron Voos, a spokesperson for the National Forest Service.

The East Troublesome Fire was reported on the afternoon of Oct. 14 last year. Between late afternoon on Oct. 21 and the early afternoon of Oct. 22, the fire exploded from 18,550 acres to 187,964 acres.