Peekaboo Fire Grows To 11,700 Acres
CRAIG, Colo. (CBS4) - The Peekaboo Fire in northwestern Colorado is 11,700 acres in size Saturday morning.
It's burning on burning in a remote, rugged area of federally owned land about 50 miles west of Craig.
Firefighters report zero containment at this time.
Firefighters say thunderstorms in the area have only added to the fire danger.
Smoke can be seen for miles, but currently there are no evacuation orders in place. Anyone in the area, however, is warned to use caution.
Crews are building containment lines by hand to protect private property nearby. Three ranches, multiple structures, and the Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge are just a few miles south of the flames. Currently, no structures are threatened, but firefighters are monitoring and patrolling the area.
Crews - both on the ground and in the air - are focusing their efforts Saturday on the south and southwestern portions to protect structures and keep the fire north of Highway 318.
"Their efforts will be focused on engaging the fire where it is safe to do so, and where they will have a high probability of success," according to a BLM Facebook post Saturday morning. "Limited resources, combined with challenging access to the fire, are making it difficult to meet the full suppression strategy."
A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place for any aircraft not involved in firefighting operations.
Updates on the Peekaboo Fire are available via the Incident Information System.