Decker Fire advances to within 2 miles of Salida

Special notes: The Decker fire has gained some containment on the north side; it is now 14% contained.
Although The Decker Fire is now 14% contained, it continues to grow. As of Tuesday, Oct., 8 the fire had grown to over 6,500 acres. The small amount of containment is on the north side of the fire line approaching the city of Salida.

Fire Statistics:
Location: Fire started 9 miles south of Salida CO and has advanced to within 2 miles south of Salida city limits. Size: 6,482 acres
Total Personnel: 896
Resources Include: 10 Type-1 hand crews, 15 Type-2 hand crews, 29 engines, 3 dozers, 10 water tenders Air Resources: 3 Type-1 (K-MAX, Blackhawk, Chinook), 1 Type-2 and 2 Type 3, and 2 fixed-wing aircraft
Current Situation: Division R, two fire crews made considerable progress on improving the dozer line leading from the ridgeline at the Division R/A break north to the Rainbow Trial. They also completed improvements on the Rainbow Trail running from the dozer line east to the fire’s edge. In both Divisions R and T, firefighters made substantial progress on the direct handline that wraps around the top and “arm” of the fire. A large section of this is now considered contained and will show as black line on the map. Crews in Division T also worked on the handline that starts at the tip of the “arm” and moves south along CR 101/49. Work along this road is nearly complete. Dozers in Division T kept building the dozer line running from the end of CR 101/49 southeast toward the Rainbow Trail. Hand crews worked on this fire line from the opposite direction, coming from the Howard area and working west. In Division X, crews kept working on indirect line utilizing existing trails and roads. Dozers in Division A built a fire line along a ridgeline toward the repeater on Methodist Mountain.
Firefighters in Division R worked to secure the remaining direct line on the north side (the part that is still red on maps). Crews in Division T continued the same on the bottom of the “arm,” and continued to “mop-up” along the already contained areas. (Mopping-up is when crews work along existing fire line, conducting tasks such as extinguishing smoldering material along the fire’s edge, ensuring logs/debris cannot roll across the fire line, clearing both sides of the fire line of snags, rotten logs, stumps, singed brush and low hanging limbs of trees, and searching for underground burning roots near the line.) In Division W, crews improved both hand and dozer lines that run between Howard and the fire. Dozers worked in Division X to continue improving BLM roads, and crews will improve handline that has been constructed closer to the fire’s edge. In Division A on the west, crews will keep building dozer line along the ridge leading to the repeater on Methodist. Structure protection crews remain present in the communities near Howard; pre-evacuations were lifted yesterday for some areas, and officials are assessing timing for others.
Firing operations (aerial, hand or both) may take place today or in the coming days. These operations are very condition-dependent; fire managers must constantly and carefully evaluate many factors to decide whether these operations are likely to present a high probability of success. Residents may see increased smoke if these operations occur.
 Attention Hunters Closures in Units 86 and 82 If you will be hunting in or have tags for units 86 and 82 near the fire area, please contact the Colorado Parks and Wildlife for more information on area closures of these units including roads, National Forest lands and trails. Phone: 719-530-5520 for updated information
Closures and Public Safety: There are multiple road closures around the Decker Fire area in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache counties. For your safety and firefighter safety, please respect posted closures. For San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. For Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. For BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMCLosure. For evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sherriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or Fremont County Emergency Management: 719-276-7416, 719-276-7418 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites.