Note: This post will be updated as more information is released. Firefighters have completed fire line and have begun mopping up. Today’s cloud cover is helping to keep fire behavior at a minimum. Smoldering will continue for several days and smoke will still drop into valley bottoms in the evening and early morning hours along the Highway 160 corridor east of Bayfield.

Fire officials across the region and state are preparing for the upcoming season, with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) releasing its fire outlook and preparedness plan on April 24, and regional agencies meeting earlier this week.

As 2025 began, the world watched the devastating fires in southern California. The fires spread rapidly over chaparral-covered hillsides under extremely dry conditions and Santa Ana winds. Thousands were forced to evacuate as the fires moved into communities and passed from one structure to the next. More than 12,000 people lost their homes. More than 100 people lost their lives.

Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux gave a presentation to the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) during a work session held on Tuesday, Jan. 21, addressing how fires are responded to within the county.