MANCOS — The Weber Fire grew overnight to 9,155 acres. The growth brought it closer to U.S. Highway 160, but it remained within established containment lines Wednesday morning.
“Firefighters are gradually bringing fire down to established containment lines,” a news release from the federal incident management team fighting the fire said. “Crews continue to work conducting burnout operations and constructing and strengthening fire line.”
No structures have been destroyed but about 150 people remain evacuated.
Steep terrain and the risk of rolling embers made direct firefighting tactics unsafe in some areas.
“Rough terrain, unpredictable weather, and heavy, dry fuels have made this a hard fought battle,” incident commander Joe Lowe said in the release.
Residents and visitors should expect to see and smell smoke over th next several days, the release said.
Fire officials on Tuesday said they expected to spend a couple more days building containment lines and several days after that on “mop up” work. There are about 500 people are working the fire.
Deputy incident commander Jay Esperance warned residents not to get a “false sense of security.”
“We can’t let our guard down,” he said Tuesday morning at a community briefing. “We’ve got a long road to go.”
No homes have been lost.
The fire was 20 percent contained Tuesday night – meaning firefighters had created a secure line around that percentage of the perimeter.
They have been working to protect communication towers on the north end of the fire that serve as a backbone to the entire region.
For more updates on the Weber fire, go to Durangoherald.com