Full containment of fire near Nederland expected Thursday

Evacuees from the Hayden Pass Fire face ongoing hardships with no definite time for when they will be able to return home.

New estimates put the fire at 7,500 acres. County Road 35 and the Eagle Peak Subdivision are being added to the evacuations already in place for County Road 4 and 6 and the Fox Creek Subdivision.

He says the area burned by the 2011 Duckett Fire and its containment lines are helping hold the fire to the east.

As it moved into its fifth day Wednesday, the fire continued to grow, fueled by low humidity and hot temperatures, Sullivan said. Officials anticipate the fire will be 25 percent contained by Tuesday evening.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office released information on their Facebook page saying that The Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Custer County had also been evacuated.

The Hayden Pass Fire more than doubled in size to about 19 square miles on Monday and hasn’t been contained at all. “These will offer water support to hotshot crews”, Sullivan said. Her family narrowly escaped the Black Forest Fire three years ago.

“Where we do expect large fire growth in the higher terrain of the (Sangre de Cristo) Wilderness area today with the northwest winds”, Esperance said. “And I’m concerned because the last couple of the days the winds have been favorable for us, but typically, we have these strong winds that come down over Hayden pass down into Coaldale”, Gully said.

Salida Ranger District U.S. Forester Jim Pitts thanked residents of the small communities for allowing firefighters to use their ponds to obtain water for the helicopters fighting the fire.

The brush crew is one of two staffed for the summer months by DFPD to fulfill a variety of duties in the Durango area, said Randy Black, deputy chief of Durango Fire.

During the community meeting, Gully asked the panel of speakers why they were not being more aggressive attacking the fire, especially where there are homes.