Titan Fire northwest of Trinidad now at full containment
LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - The worst appears to be over for the 930-acre Titan Fire that has burned northwest of Trinidad since Wednesday evening.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday, state authorities declared the fire's containment at 100% and returned management to Las Animas County.
The Boncarbo/Spanish Peaks Fire Department is now the lead agency for the mop-up phase of the event.
As many as 220 firefighters were on duty during the height of the fire; air support and favorable weather conditions allowed them to reach full containment in just two days.
Among positive developments Thursday: The lifting of the mandatory evacuation order for 26 homeowners in the Boncarbo area, and the arrival of clouds bringing higher humidity which reduced the smoke plume and brought the potential for rain.
"From the front porch, I could see the big, huge bellows of smoke --and it was pretty close," said George Baker, 79, just moments before he evacuated. "Being as I have some medical problems, they said I should move out immediately --and that's what I did. I can't understand why some people refused to leave."
Baker was the only evacuee still staying at the Trinidad Community Center, where the Red Cross had set up an emergency shelter.
"It was pretty dangerous," he said of his experience. "Everyone loves their home."
Authorities said that they can't legally force homeowners to evacuate, but firefighters provided structure protection to affected homes and volunteers arrived to care for pets and livestock.
Per an update on the Titan Fire at 9 a.m.Thursday, the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management (CIM) Team 1 assumed management responsibility for the fire at 6:30 a.m., setting up at the Las Animas County Fairgrounds.
The fire is located just east of CR 51.0 in mountainous terrain at approximately 7.500 feet. It was mapped by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) multi-mission aircraft at 2 p.m. Thursday that reported the fire was 930 acres.
Firefighting aircraft continued providing aerial support to crews on the ground Friday as weather conditions allowed. Additional resources including a helicopter, engines, and ground crews were ordered and a completed dozer line kept the fire in check on its northwest flank.
Overnight the fire saw rain showers that helped firefighters in the suppression efforts. A cold, dry front passage was expected Friday morning with strong outflow winds and lightning in the afternoon. Officials expected fire behavior to be mild with some tree torching on steeper slopes.
"All the rain we had this month has dried up," said Joe Richards, emergency manager for Las Animas County. "And we didn't get as much rain as El Paso County had. "We do have roads that give us better access to the fire than we had at the Trujillo Creek Fire in April."
The fire was currently burning near a San Isabel Electric power line. The utility company requested customers south of Walsenburg to use as little electricity as possible, especially between 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. when electric usage is typically the highest.
Authorities said Friday that after fallen trees knocked down a high-transmission power line in the area, power was shut off are rerouted.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place over the Titan Fire. Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, crews can’t. For more information, click here.
The Titan Fire was originally referred to as the Freedom Heights Fire.
Read the full update below:
Resources:
Titan Fire Information Facebook
Las Animas County Facebook page
Trinidad Fire Department Facebook page
City of Trinidad Community Center
