The Willow Fire, which started June 28 outside Leadville, has grown to 2,011 acres, and a higher-level incident management team has taken command of the response, according to updates posted by the management team and the Lake County Office of Emergency Management.

Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 4 took over June 30, according to the office of emergency management, and is a higher level of team than the Type 3 incident management team that had taken command June 29. Team member William Dudley said in a June 30 video update that the fire remains at 0% containment, a number reflected on InciWeb.Wildfire.gov and Watch Duty, a fire detection app.

Dudley gave an overview of firefighting efforts made June 30, which included crew members analyzing the west and northwest sides of the fire to determine the best ways to contain it. Firefighters on the east side of the fire worked on creating a fire break between the fire and the Leadville National Fish Hatchery to protect the hatchery and the rest of Leadville from the fire.

“We’re going to be working on that over the next 48 hours, to have a good solid line to keep fire from moving east into Leadville,” Dudley said.

InciWeb and the management team’s Willow Fire Facebook page both report that the cause of the fire remains undetermined, there are 197 personnel on the fire, and the fuels include lodgepole pine and mixed conifer.

A post on the Willow Fire page Wednesday morning stated the fire remained active Tuesday as air and ground teams worked to fight it. Steep high-elevation terrain, limited road access and “critically dry” vegetation all present challenges to firefighters, the post stated. It also stated that Red Flag conditions are expected Wednesday, with low relative humidity and strong winds.

Crews are using a “full suppression strategy” to contain the fire and protect communities, infrastructure, natural resources and recreation areas, the post stated. On Tuesday, June 30, crews assessed structures and installed hoses and portable water tanks to protect at-risk values. On July 1, they will continue assessing structures and improving fire break lines, according to the post.

In a video update from Lake County Sheriff Heath Speckman on Wednesday morning, he said the fire has caused no new road closures or evacuations. Areas around Turquoise Lake and the fish hatchery have evacuation orders, while pre-evacuation areas in a few communities include about 400 homes, according to Speckman.

First responders will go door-to-door today at those homes in the pre-evacuation areas to make sure they are aware of the order and give them information about what an evacuation order would look like, Speckman said.

Original reporting from summitdaily.com