Having tentatively established defensive lines around the uncontrolled Oak Ridge Fire west of Pueblo, wildfire crews are now planning to set their own fires in the coming days to old growth forest in an effort to stymy the fire’s threat to a nearby town.
Crews have extinguished most hot spots along the eastern edge of the blaze, according to a daily update send from fire command. Today, additional personnel are being positioned along that portion of the fire perimeter in anticipation of burnout operations, or the setting of a series of small fires intended to use up flammable materials in a more controlled fashion.
The goal is create a better buffer between that eastern edge of the fire and the town Beulah, the nearest population center.
“Records show there hasn’t been any fire inside and outside the current fire perimeter for over 100 years,” fire command’s daily update stated Saturday morning. “This has allowed the area between the Junkens (sic) Fire burn scar to the north and the Mason Gulch Fire burn scar to the south to become overgrown and dense. If fuels aren’t reduced, it’s not a matter of if fire will occur, it’s a matter of when. Reducing the fuels will provide a higher rate of success of keeping wildland fire away from Beulah and other surrounding communities.”