Evacuated South Routt residents breathe easier after ‘phenomenal’ response to Crosho Fire
- Kari Dequine Harden
- 1 hour ago
- 8 min read
Crews reported 8% containment on the 2,004-acre Crosho Fire as of Sunday evening, with no structures lost in the fire.
Rain fell across the Flat Tops Friday afternoon, along with a collective sigh of relief from the South Routt community that spent a harrowing week in the clutches of the Crosho Fire.
The fortuitous downpour brought tears of joy to Lacey Trout’s eyes.
The day before, Trout’s family fled their home as they watched flames from the Crosho Fire engulf trees about 10 yards away from their fence line.
Trout’s neighbor to the west, Sarah Blakeslee, also evacuated on Thursday with her family as flames licked the trees on the ridge just above their home.
They knew they had made their property as defensible as possible, understanding forest ecology and the risks of where they live. They packed their important papers and some family heirlooms. They were as ready as they could be.
“There’s a lot of people up here that can hold their own in the world,” Blakeslee said.
But the roller coaster of the week’s emotions – and the uncertainty – left Blakeslee exhausted.
The family had spent Tuesday and Wednesday watching from their deck as massive aircraft flew directly overhead after dropping plumes of fluorescent pink fire retardant at the edges of the fire raging closest to their house.
The slurry drops alternated with the bright red and yellow “Super Scooper” planes, flying from Stagecoach Reservoir with bellies full of water skimmed from the lake’s surface. Helicopters and spotter planes also could be seen against the backdrop of thick white, gray, brown and black smoke. The aerial display of courage and coordination was incredible to witness, Blakeslee said. On the ground, bulldozers cleared dirt fire lines and ground crews extinguished hot spots.
As the Crosho Fire grew and evolved, watching it “was like watching a science experiment unfold,” said Blakeslee, a former science teacher at Steamboat Springs High School where she taught her students about the “fire triangle” — the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel and oxygen.
It was Wednesday afternoon the science experiment began to approach too close for comfort, she said. Wednesday night “it didn’t feel like fire was put to bed . . . It was very apparent on Thursday it was going to be a challenging day.”
The Crosho Fire started near Crosho Lake in Rio Blanco County at about 3:25 p.m. on Aug. 11, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The cause remains unknown. As of Sunday morning, the fire’s size had been reduced to 2,004 acres, a change due to more accurate mapping of the fire, not an actual decrease. Crews estimate the fire is roughly 8% contained, with the first containment coming on the Sunday evening update.
“Cooler temperatures and light precipitation continue to moderate the fire behavior, allowing crews to engage on the perimeter,” the update says.
Neighbors helping Neighbors
Linda and Sam Dilley were among the first residents evacuated due to the Crosho Fire, as it threatened their home on the southern end of the fire on the fire’s second day.
The couple, who will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary in December, bought their home on County Road 15 in 1985 and moved in permanently in 1995, fulfilling their retirement dream. Sam Dilley spent 30 years as a firefighter in Aurora. It was a helpless feeling just to watch and wait, they said, not knowing whether they would have a home to return to.
Last Tuesday, they were packing “what we felt we can’t lose,” said Linda Dilley. That included photographs, 300 years of genealogy research and her mother’s wedding ring, among a handful of other items..
“Everything else — it can be replaced,” she said.
Nonetheless, Sam Dilley said it was very painful to think about what to take and what to leave behind.
On Friday, they sat at the dining room table at their daughter’s house in Yampa, feeling confident their home would be spared the fire, but Sam Dilley mourned what he knew would be a dramatically changed landscape in the woods around their home.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
The Dilleys said they hope the fire will raise awareness among people about the danger of current conditions — and how easily something like a cigarette butt could ignite parched grass as the region on Aug. 14 entered the “exceptional” phase of drought conditions.
The Dilleys also commented on the outpouring of support from the community.
“I can’t believe how many people reached out to us,” said their daughter, Stacey Dilley. “I can’t believe how much South Routt neighbors have come together to help each other. It’s a really humbling experience. It makes you think about what’s important.”
On Wednesday, Stacey Dilley and Lacey Trout prepared pens for evacuated horses and alpacas at the Egeria Park Roping Club, which the Dilley family opened for livestock in need of a safe place to wait out the fire.
Evacuating livestock and moving cows was one of the first actions residents took after the fire ignited near the agricultural-dominated corner of the county.
Trout said she was grateful her family was able to get their animals out early so they could focus on helping others.
While at Routt County Fair on Wednesday, Trout left in a rush as she got word the fire had blown up and was headed to a friend’s house who was out of town.
“I promised her I’d get her horses out,” Trout said.
“I’m worried about everyone’s livestock and livelihoods,” said Jill Andrews as she watched the brown cloud of smoke billowing Wednesday afternoon like a bomb exploded. Andrews had her horse trailer hitched to her truck, ready to help anyone who needed to move animals.
At the evacuation center initially set up at the South Routt Elementary School in Yampa, Routt County Assistant Manager Melina Bricker said far more people were showing up to offer help than anyone seeking assistance.
A town at risk?
Located about seven and a half miles away from the fire, parts of Yampa remain in a pre-evacuation status. There have been days when it feels like business as usual and other periods of pure panic, said Town of Yampa Administrator Sheila Symons around lunchtime on Friday.
“The town itself is really eerie.”
Symons said she kept in constant communication with county officials and fielded an abundance of questions and calls from people who wanted to help. There was far more assistance offered than sought, she confirmed. Blakeslee said she’d had “gazillions” of offers of places to stay.
Symons worked to contact Yampa residents — where nearly half the population is over the age of 60 — who might not have the people or resources to assist in evacuation if needed. Symons said she herself was alternating between her role as administrator and helping her son figure out what to pack in case the town itself became threatened.
“It’s taxing,” she said. “We are fine. But the what-ifs are scary.”
Trout described the broader South Routt community like a family, even if it’s one that doesn’t always get along.
“We bicker — we know way too much about each other — but we’d give each other anything we had and will do whatever we have to help our community,” Trout said.
‘A phenomenal job’
Among everyone, there was immense gratitude regarding the resources allocated to the fire and the entirety of the response effort.
“They are doing a phenomenal job,” said Symons, the Yampa Administrator.
Trout and Blakeslee said the Crosho Fire likely benefited from aerial support staged nearby at the nearly 140,000-acre Lee Fire burning south of Meeker.
“There were a ton of resources here in a very quick time frame,” Trout said. “I’ve never seen an event like this. They had boots on the ground on Monday. They weren’t messing around. They realized if they didn’t get this thing wrapped up — it will take over.”
Trout’s 18-year old son Wyatt spent his week on the front lines, battling the flames as a volunteer firefighter with the (all-volunteer) Yampa Valley Fire Department.
Trout also serves as a volunteer EMT and firefighter.
She said did worry about her son, but “He loves it. He’s doing what he’s always wanted to do. What he’s trained to do. I feel like it takes a special person to do it, and he’s been called to do it. He’s always wanted to help people. He’s obsessed with weather and how things like clouds and wind work. And fire science. It clicks for him. It’s almost second nature.”
Trout said she wished there had been better communication to the public about what was happening with the fire throughout the week, but she also described the response effort by the firefighters, pilots, and other contractors as “phenomenal,” especially amid unpredictable winds.
Asked about some of the biggest challenges presented by the fire, Bricker wrote, “The ever-changing weather patterns have been complicated. Wind shifts create challenges with real-time updates, but the EOC [Emergency Operations Center] is working closely with all entities to ensure unified and immediate messaging goes out to the public.”
In Saturday’s update, the incident management team listed various weather concerns, including “erratic and gusty winds, low relative humidity values, and dry thunderstorms will continue to drive critical fire weather.”
By Sunday, the update said weather was starting to moderate the fire, noting “cooler temperatures and light precipitation continue to moderate fire behavior.”
As of Sunday, the estimated expense of fighting the Crosho Fire is roughly $4.5 million, according to numbers from the National Interagency Fire Center.
‘Tentatively moving forward’
On Saturday morning, South Routt School District Superintendent Kirk Henwood sent an email to families, announcing that the first day of school would go on as planned this week.
“We'll continue to monitor the situation and will follow directives from incident command as they come in,” Henwood wrote, noting the fire is still impacting some of the district’s families. “But as of this moment, we're thankful to be tentatively moving forward with opening schools as planned on Tuesday.”
As Blakeslee returned to check on her house on Saturday, the air had cleared and the only smoke visible was sporadic puffs of white smoke from patches of smoldering vegetation — a dramatic and welcome change from the previous days.
From her deck on Saturday, Blakeslee stared across the partially burnt landscape with a cautious calmness.
“My friends and family make me feel like we can weather anything,” she said.
But Trout and Blakeslee also acknowledged their homes were still at risk.
Uncertainty still loomed large.
“If the weather keeps doing what it's doing, we should be out of the woods,” Trout said Saturday afternoon. “That being said, fire does what fire wants. The conditions can change in a moment and we're right back in it again."
Trout, Blakeslee and the Dilley family all talked about the experience of being confronted with losing their homes and nearly everything in it – but focusing instead on things that cannot be replaced, like their families, pets and friends.
It isn't the physical structure of their house that connects them to South Routt, Blakeslee and her husband agreed. “It’s the community that keeps us here.”
How You Can Help:
The Yampa Valley Community Foundation has expanded its disaster recovery fundraising to include the Crosho Fire. In partnership with United Way of the Yampa Valley, funds will be directed to nonprofits and agencies aiding affected communities, addressing both immediate needs and long-term recovery. Tax-deductible donations to these funds are non-refundable, and any unused funds will remain in the Yampa Valley Disaster Recovery Fund for future disaster response.
To donate to the Crosho Wildfire Recovery Fund, the Lee & Elk Wildfire Recovery Fund, or the general Yampa Valley Disaster Recovery Fund, click here. Also, United Way of the Yampa Valley is gathering names of individuals willing to volunteer for future wildfire recovery efforts — no commitment required at this time, just a willingness to be contacted when specific needs arise. Please use this form to sign up to volunteer.
