Danger Subsides for Crews Fighting Colorado Wildfire

A wind-whipped wildfire that killed 14 firefighters was all but contained Saturday with help from five new crews.

About 60% of the fire burning west of this resort town in western Colorado was surrounded by fire lines, and full containment was expected by the end of the day.

“We’re in no danger now,” fire Cmdr. Jack Lee said. “We’re going to whip this.”

Five new crews, about 100 firefighters, were brought in Saturday, bringing the total number of firefighters to about 550, including crews in helicopters and fire engines.

Last Wednesday, winds transformed a 50-acre fire into an inferno that killed the 14 firefighters and spread the blaze to nearly 2,000 acres.

Those firefighters had gone in when flames started to threaten a mountainside subdivision called Canyon Creek Estates.

In the wake of the tragedy, residents there say they want to honor the dead. A memorial service was planned for today at a town park.

Glenwood Springs officials said they will light a cross on top of nearby Red Mountain for the next 14 nights in honor of the firefighters.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy toured the area, calling the fallen firefighters heroes. “These are extraordinary people who accomplished extraordinary feats,” he said.

Meanwhile, fires continued to dot the Western states.

* In Texas, 27 Texas Forest Service firefighters on their way home found themselves back on the line Saturday when they were diverted to fight a 1,700-acre blaze in Presidio County in West Texas. The firefighters had been heading east when they were diverted to dig firebreaks and light backfires to combat the lightning-sparked blaze near Marfa.

* In New Mexico, light rain Friday night helped crews fight a 1,300-acre wildfire in the Capitan Wilderness that was threatening a cluster of summer homes. Nearby, a 1,300-acre fire burning through ponderosa pine trees and thick undergrowth in the Gila National Forest jumped fire lines. Another fire in the Gila National Forest had blackened 3,740 acres by Saturday.

Crews controlled a 5,540-acre blaze in Lincoln National Forest.