UPDATE July 3, 2020
For current fire information visit InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6822/ or call incident contact Naaman Horn at (307) 699-0142.
The lightning caused Split Fire at Dinosaur National Monument was discovered on Friday, June 26. Upon detection, the fire was 1/4 acre and burning in very steep, mountainous terrain. The fire is currently 37 acres and is burning at 7,000 feet on the north side of Split Mountain near Rainbow Park. All park facilities currently remain open.
Due to the hazardous conditions for firefighters and minimal risk of spread, firefighters have been actively monitoring the fire. Because of its location there is limited threat to people or structures. Five fire fighters are currently assigned to the fire.
Dry and windy conditions after the fire ignited allowed the Split Fire to grow to 36 acres by Monday, June 28. Since Monday, although temperatures have been high and relative humidity has been low, winds have decreased, and fire activity has been minimal with creeping spread and some visible smoke over the past few days. The current forecast calls for windy conditions and possible thunderstorms through the holiday weekend and into next week.
“If the fire moves down-slope to the north, we will begin utilizing direct and indirect tactics where firefighters can access the fire with less risk." said Incident Commander Charlie Reynar.
Since the fire is burning at 7000 feet on the north side of Split Mountain near Rainbow Park, smoke may be visible for quite a distance and visitors can expect to see smoke especially while recreating in the Island Park area.
Updated information about this fire can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6822/ or by calling Incident Contact Naaman Horn at (307) 699-0142. This will be the last press release unless conditions change.
The original News Release from June 26, 2020 is below:
Dinosaur, Colorado & Jensen, UT - Fire crews from Dinosaur National Monument and the Bureau of Land Management Green River Office in Vernal, UT responded to four fires that were spotted on Friday, June 26 after a lighting storm moved across the area on Thursday evening. The largest fire, called the Split Fire, is located in a remote and rocky area at 7000 feet elevation on the north side of Split Mountain in Utah. As of Friday afternoon, the Split Fire was creeping and smoldering through an approximately one-quarter to one-half acre of patchy grass, brush, and pine needle duff. Because of the inaccessibility of the fire's location, and its low potential for spread, the Split Fire is being monitored with no current suppression efforts. Three other single tree fires were ignited along the Yampa Bench Road in Colorado from this same storm. Fire crews expect to have those fires all contained by Friday evening.
Visitors may see smoke from the Split Fire if they are visiting the Rainbow Park area of Dinosaur National Monument. There are no closures of roads or trails at this time.
Tags: wildfire dinosaur national monument
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
