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Sarvis Creek Wilderness closed as Silver Creek fire grows to 85 acres

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – The Silver Creek Fire has spread and closed the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area.

The Silver Creek Fire is just inside Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area on the eastern side of Gore Mountain near the boundary of the Routt and Arapahoe national forests. Though it is in Routt County, it is moving toward the Grand County line.

The Silver Creek Fire burns in Routt National Forest on Saturday. The fire has grown to 85 acres and spread in many directions. Photo courtesy Lance Spring

According to Inciweb, the fire has grown to 85 acres in multiple directions, spreading southeast, southwest and northwest despite some rainfall and cloud cover Saturday.



A closure has been issued for the entire Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area and national forest lands adjacent to the east, including the Red Dirt Reservoir area. Both the Sarvis and Silver Creek trails are closed at their east and west trailheads. About 20 miles of Forest Service Road 100, Buffalo Park Road, is closed from its intersection with Forest Service Roads 250 and 101 to Forest Service Road 317.

The closure is intended to protect the safety of the public and firefighters working to suppress the fire.



Crews are working to fully put out the fire.

According to the incident’s most recent update Saturday, 15 people and a helicopter continued to fight the fire, though no one is physically at the scene due to safety concerns and the remote area the fire is in.

Courtesy U.S. Forest Service

“It’s in thick, nasty stuff, so we couldn’t send anyone safely into it,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Aaron Voos told Steamboat Pilot & Today on Friday.

The fire was first reported on Thursday. It is burning in an area of live and beetle-killed lodgepole pine, spruce and fir. The cause of the fire was under investigation Friday, though Voos said it was likely lightning-caused.

To reach Eleanor Hasenbeck, call 970-871-4210, email ehasenbeck@steamboattoday.com or follow her on Twitter, @elHasenbeck.


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