July 01--Firefighters continued making progress Sunday on the West Fork Fire complex; a combination of the West Fork, Papoose and Windy Pass fires burning northeast of Pagosa Springs.
The blaze's total acreage was decreased from 95,775 acres to 92,176 acres after an infrared flight was done Saturday night that gave officials a more accurate reading.
An infrared flight had not been performed the previous two days due to weather conditions.
The Windy Pass has burned 1,416 acres, the Papoose 34,272 acres and the West Fork 56,488.
The fire remained two percent contained as of Sunday night.
Colorado 149 was opened to motorists early Sunday morning, a day after the Colorado Department of Transportation opened U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass.
Firefighters focused their efforts Sunday on the northwest flank of the Papoose Fire near Crooked Creek. The Papoose Fire has shown the most activity in the last couple of days and firefighters are working on creating dozer lines, hand lines and utilizing water and retardant drops to tie it into the main fire perimeter.
The West Fork Fire continues to be active in the Lake Humphreys and Elk Mountain areas on the north flank. The West Fork Fire hasn't moved much recently, according to Greg Heule, public information officer for the Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management Team.
Activity on the Windy Pass Fire has been minimal. Crews are continuing to monitor fire activity there.
Scattered thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rainfall fell over some areas of the fire Sunday which brought a mixed bag of results.
The rain in thunderstorms helps firefighters battling the blaze on the ground but also creates erratic winds and the possibility of mudslides in recently burned areas.
More personnel arrived Sunday, bringing the total battling the blaze to 1,502.
The fire has cost $14 million to date to fight.
There are 2,348 residences still being threatened, according to Heule.
Cooler temperatures and the possibility of thunderstorms are forecast for the area much of the week.
The East Peak Fire burning 10 miles southwest of Walsenburg remained 95 percent contained Sunday night as firefighters continued mop-up and rehab work.
Personnel from the East Peak Fire are being reassigned to other incidents. There are currently 325 firefighters working the blaze including hand crews, a helicopter, engines and a dozer. Officials said the fire could possibly be declared 100 percent contained today.
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