Friday’s dry, windy weather carried over into Saturday, increasing the fire activity and growth on the Middle Mamm Fire, south of Rifle, to an estimated 113 acres.

The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire and Aviation Management Unit (UCR) continue to manage the fire to reduce accumulated fuels and improve forest health and wildlife habitat, according to a press release from UCR.

Currently, 15 personnel and one Type 3 helicopter are combating the blaze.

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“There are pockets with large amounts of dead and downed fuel that are generating a lot of heat, resulting in the increase in visible smoke,” said Stewart Robertson, UCR Fire Operations Specialist. “It is expected that flames and the resultant smoke may be visible overnight until these pockets fully burn down. The forest understory and overstory effects are ideal at this time and fire behavior is as expected.”

The fire is not threatening to private property and associated structures.

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According to UCR Public Information Officer Sarah Hankens, firefighters have identified and established pre-determined triggers or ‘management action points’ that guide suppression tactics if the fire reaches undesirable behavior or thresholds. Current active management tactics include helicopter bucket drops from the Type 3 helicopter to limit spread where not desired.

“When managing wildfire for resource benefits, actions are continuously being taken to protect private property and associated infrastructure,” said Hankens. “At this time, we are strategically using aviation and ground resources to manage, and when needed, suppress the fire growth.”

For more information on the Middle Mamm Fire, visit: 
• Twitter: @WhiteRiverNews
• Facebook: U.S. Forest Service – White River National Forest
• Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6527