Courtesy photo/InciWeb
The wildfire burning in a remote area near Granite Lakes in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness was added to the national incident information system Sunday to help better inform the public of its status, officials said.
Named the Granite Lake Fire, the lightning-caused fire was detected Sept. 21 but didn’t capture much attention until Saturday when windy conditions increased fire activity, causing smoke to be visible from Aspen, Basalt and Leadville, as previously reported.
The fire is still burning on 113 acres in Pitkin County across high alpine vegetation and avalanche paths, and officials are still using aviation resources to monitor and manage the fire.
“Aircraft is being used to monitor and to take infrared measurements of the fire area, but it’s in a very remote area and presently there are no structures threatened,” said Lynn Lockwood, spokesperson for the Granite Lake Fire incident.
The fire is burning at an elevation exceeding 11,600 feet near Granite Lakes in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness area, about 13 miles southeast of Meredith. It is in the South Fork drainage of the Fryingpan River above South Fork Pass trail 1940, two miles past the end of Forest Road 504, according to InciWeb.
As of Sunday afternoon, Lockwood said there are no trail closures but recreationists in the area should be aware of the fire location.
For more information, visit inciweb.nwcg.gov.