The Quartz Ridge and Bear Creek fires are both burning alongside several small fires near Pagosa Springs.
The Quartz Ridge fire, discovered on August 5, has burned 558 acres three miles into the San Juan National Forest. Firefighters have been unable to fight the fire directly because of the steep terrain, the remote location, and the risk associated with standing in dead and downed trees while fighting fires.
The fire is expected to remain remote while it moves northeast and there is not currently any indication that the fire is threatening any structures.
Three Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) firefighters have been assigned to assist with the Quartz Ridge fire for 14 days, according to CSFD.
#ColoradoSpringsFire has deployed a team of 3 firefighters on a Type 6 brush truck to assist with the #QuartzRidgeFire burning near Pagosa Springs. They are on a 14-day assignment.#csfd crews will assist with the initial attack to prevent the fire from getting too big.
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) August 8, 2023
The Bear Creek fire, discovered on August 1, has burned 150 acres west of the Weminuche Valley. The fire is especially active because of dead-standing trees in the area.
Resources will remain in the immediate fire area.
Smoke from these fires are thought to be making skies in Pueblo and Colorado Springs hazy, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), Pueblo. This haze is expected to get worse as day progresses. There are not currently any indications of an impact on air quality.
News5 will continue to update this article as we learn more.
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