Firefighters Challenged By Rough Terrain

By: Stacey Kaisers.kaiser@krdo.comFollow me on Twitterat staceykaiser@twitter.com

PIKE NATIONAL FOREST- The Rampart Shooting Range fire is 100% contained. The wildfire might have only been ¼ acre, but no less challenging to fight. “The moisture that we’ve had lately kept it small, also where it was located, it was surrounded mainly by rocks on both sides,” said Forest Service Fire Information Officer Dawn Sanchez.

But that rocky terrain made it extremely difficult for crews to reach the fire. So a Single Engine Air Tanker dropped 2 rounds of retardant on the fire. And Friday morning, when they had plenty of daylight, 8 firefighters made the 1-hour hike. Crews only had one hotspot to put out.

The cause of the fire was lightning that most likely struck the area Wednesday. “It will smolder for a couple days and then when it starts drying out that fire will get enough heat to make a run and spread and actually show some smoke,” said Sanchez.

Even though lightning caused this fire, shooters at the range have caused fires in past years by using illegal bullets. “Tracer bullets do have enough heat in them to start a fire and we do have fires up here usually every summer we have a couple,” said Sanchez.