The massive West Fork Complex wildfire in southwest Colorado burning since the beginning of June continues to expand with each passing day as drought and unfavorable weather conditions, paired with huge amounts of dead, dry trees, fuel the fire further.
Located approximately 14.5 miles north-northeast of Pagosa Springs, Colo., the West Fork Complex fire is actually a combination of three separate fires, which, as of Tuesday, has burned through 79,182 acres of land, according to 9 News in Colorado.
"This is a significant fire, with significant problems," said Pete Blume, West Fork Complex incident commander. "You will not see significant gains until we get some help from the weather...I have to say things are looking better but by no means secure."
The three fires making up the larger Complex fire include the West Fork Fire, the Windy Pass Fire and the Papoose Fire, all of which are burning through sections of the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests. Currently the Windy Pass Fire is estimated to encompass 1,355 acres, the Papoose Fire is 23,605 acres and the West Fork Fire is 54,222 acres.
Officials confirmed Tuesday that firefighters still have zero containment on the blaze. Portions of the fire will reportedly continue to burn all summer in forested, non-residential areas and will not likely be entirely extinguished for at least several months.
Over 1,300 fire personnel are working at keeping the blaze at least partly at bay in a bid to keep residents of South Fork and other communities threatened by the fire safe. There are seven Type 1 hand crews, 30 Type 2 hand crews, 68 fire engines, one dozer, 14 water tenders, three Type 1 helicopters, three Type 2 helicopters and five Type 3 helicopters, the Pagosa Sun reported Monday.
According to WebProNews, as of Tuesday the West Fork Complex Fire has cost approximately $2.2 million to battle. The figure does not take into account the damages residents may eventually see, or the loss of tourism revenue to area towns and residents.
The Denver Channel reports that the trio of fires is now considered the highest priority in the country. A fire information meeting is scheduled to be held in Pagosa Springs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday June 29 at the Ross Aragon Community Center.