The 416 Fire started at about 10 a.m. on June 1, 2018, approximately 10 miles north of Durango, CO. Currently it is at 25,600 acres and is only 15% contained. The fire is burning on the west side of State Highway 550 on some private land and on the San Juan National Forest. Its main fuel is grass, brush, and timber. Weather conditions remain critical and fuels are ideal for significant fire growth. The fire has been very active and continues to burn in rough and inaccessible terrain. Many homes have been evacuated and structure protection is in place. At present the cause of the fire is unknown and still being investigated.
Dry and warm conditions will continue across the fire. Increasing moisture will lead to isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, mainly dry thunderstorms. Dry thunderstorms can exacerbate fires bringing very little moisture and more lightning. Expect winds to be primarily out of the southwest at speeds from 6-12 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Winds also tend to move fires making them jump areas and continue to grow. Temperatures will range from 75-85 with humidity values less than 15%. High temps and low humidity are also conditions that fuel fires. The current estimated containment date is July 31, 2018.
NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on July 12, 2018. Actively burning areas, detected by VIIRS’ thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy of the EOSDIS Worldview site. Caption by Lynn Jenner with information from Inciweb.
Suomi NPP is managed by NASA and NOAA.