COLORADO FIRES JULY 2018 UPDATE: 416 FIRE, SPRING CREEK FIRE AND OTHERS STILL BURNING

Colorado fire officials continue to battle several large wildfires, including the 416 fire outside of Durango and the rapidly growing Spring Creek fire near Fort Garland. On Saturday, the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office announced that a 52-year-old Danish man had been arrested on arson charges for starting the Spring Creek fire.

416 Fire

The 416 fire has been raging in the western part of Colorado since June 1. Since then, the fire at San Juan National Forest has expanded to 49,301 acres and remains at 37 percent containment. As of Monday, 363 fire personnel were working to contain the fire.

According to The Durango Herald, efforts to contain the 416 fire shifted to the northeast perimeter in order to enhance fire lines guarding Purgatory Resort. “We completed firing operations along the south end, and that’s a critical piece of the puzzle for us,” Don Ferguson, a public information officer for the fire, told the newspaper.