Crosho Fire now estimated at 500 acres after “active” night
- Dylan Anderson
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Fire officials have devoted significant resources to the fire, which has now burned onto private land in Routt County.
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The Crosho Fire burning in South Routt County is now 500 acres, according to an updated estimate published to InciWeb on Wednesday, with more mapping to get an accurate assessment of the fire planned for later in the day.
Two pairs of fire suppression aircraft worked the Crosho Fire into the evening on Tuesday, making several runs between the fire area eight miles west of Yampa and Stagecoach Reservoir. Nearly 200 resources are working the fire, a term that covers firefighters and support staff.
“There probably will be some growth that will be reported on the fire [Tuesday], but it hasn’t made any huge runs,” said Aaron Voos, a spokesperson for the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. “There’s quite a few resources and values at risk in that area. … The response this year has been as aggressive as we can be.”
The fire was first reported on Monday evening and Voos said they were able to get both firefighters on the ground and aerial resources working the fire almost immediately. Those aerial resources grew on Tuesday with numerous aircraft making drops over the blaze though the day.
Aircraft included two SkyHammer type one helitankers, four water scoopers, two C-130s dropping fire retardant and an airtanker, according to a 10 p.m. update on InciWeb. Part of the reason for such a strong response from the air is because some firefighting aircraft were already stationed at Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden, Voos said.
“They’ve got a lot of resources pouring in,” said Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherer. “A lot of effort and resources are going into this fire.”
The Crosho Fire started near Crosho Lake Campground, which was evacuated on Monday evening. On Tuesday, Routt County set up four evacuation zones related to the fire and sent messages to people in Zones 2 and 3 about “pre-evacuation.” Zone 1 includes the unincorporated town of Phippsburg, while Zone 4 nears the city limits of Yampa. Each of those zones are currently being told to “monitor” the fire.
Voos said the U.S. Forest Service has requested a Type III Incident Management Team to take control of management of the fire on Wednesday. The strong response to the Crosho Fire is due to the “values at risk” in the area, Voos said.
“It’s right near the forest boundary, there’s a lot of private land that is right there,” Voos said. “With this particular one, [the strong response is] due to it’s location and due to the values at risk, and due to the resources we had available.”
Early on at the start of the fire, Voos said they have had issues with members of the public looking to view the fire. On Tuesday, Routt County closed several county roads, adding barricades at the intersections of Routt County Roads 15 and 17, RCR 25 and 132A, and Dunkley Pass (Rio Blanco County Road 8) at mile marker 38.
Voos also reminded the public to stay away from the fire area. While it has not happened with the Crosho Fire, some members of the public have flown drones near fires in an attempt to get a better look. This can be incredibly dangerous for aircraft working a fire, he said.
"It just has major implications," Voos said. "We would have to shut down the entire operation even if there's just one."
The Routt County Commissioners also approved moving the county into Stage Two fire restrictions on Tuesday, which adds a ban on all open fires, including campfires, charcoal grills and woodburning stoves, even if within a designated camping area. Scherer indicated federal partners intended to join the county in moving to Stage Two fire restrictions. The city of Steamboat Springs followed suit as well.
“Fire restrictions are considered only when very high or extreme fire danger exists and is predicted to persist,” a press release from Routt County announcing the restrictions reads. “This determination is based upon current conditions, long-term weather forecasts, and upon the heavy, dry fuel loading which creates the potential for uncontrollable fires.”
