image: The Beaver Creek fire which is located 24 miles north of Walden, Colo., erupted on June 19, 2016, under unknown circumstances. At present the fire has grown to almost 20,000 acres in size. As of July 12, and in spite of strong winds on July 11, the fire's footprint has not changed much and no new immediate threats were reported.
A Red Flag Warning was issued today for warm, dry, and windy conditions beginning at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. The fire continues to advance slowly in the beetle killed trees. The winds have created a hazard for fire crews as they down the infested trees. Crews remain out ahead of the fire's path prepared to engage the fire when it moves out of the heavy timber into aspen stands, sagebrush, and grass; where firefighters have a higher probability of success and less risk. For the safety of firefighters, the Incident Management Team is allowing the natural process of the fire to occur while focusing their resources protecting structures. This strategy provides for both firefighter safety and the protection of life and property.
This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on July 12, 2016. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red.
Credit: Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner with information from Inciweb.