The Cedar Knob Fire continues to burn on private land off Moffat County Road 59 South about 20 miles south of Maybell, officials said Wednesday.
Moffat County Sheriff Tim Jantz said firefighters with the Bureau of Land Management and the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office worked on a fire line until 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters and a Moffat County road and bridge bulldozer crew returned to the scene at 6:30 a.m., said Lynn Barclay, public information officer for the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit.
Firefighters focused on mop up operations around structures and resumed backfiring the perimeter of the fire, Barclay said.
Aircraft deployed two additional loads of fire retardant Wednesday and a helicopter assisted ground crews by dropping water to cool the perimeter, Barclay said.
As of 5:15 p.m. the Cedar Knob Fire had grown to 1,150 acres, but officials on the scene also are reporting 25 percent containment.
Michael St. Martin, an engine captain and Type 3 certified incident commander with the BLM’s Little Snake Field Office, is IC for the Cedar Knob Fire, Jantz said.
Officials suspect lightning associated with a dry thunderstorm ignited the blaze.
Property owner Pete Shelton reported the fire Tuesday afternoon.
No structure damage, injuries or fatalities have been reported, officials said.
The Cedar Knob Fire was one of five confirmed blazes reported Tuesday in Moffat County.
Moffat County Sheriff’s Office firefighters also are battling the Cold Fire in Cold Springs near the Wyoming and Utah borders.
The Cold Fire is eight acres in size and burning in lodgepole pine, according to a Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit news release.
BLM and National Park Service firefighters also responded to the scene.
No structures are immediately threatened.
The USA Fire burned nine acres of BLM land off MCR 7 about 10 miles northwest of Craig.
Craig Fire/Rescue, Moffat County Sheriff’s Office and BLM engines responded.
The USA Fire was reportedly contained at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
A BLM engine was assigned to patrol the scene Wednesday. There have been no reports of flare ups.
The Black Fire burned half an acre in Dinosaur National Monument. It was contained at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The Buck Fire was reported around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in northwest Moffat County on the east side of Bower Draw.
Smokejumpers responded, but could not locate the fire. It was deemed extinguished by natural causes at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Smokejumpers were redeployed Wednesday to a report of a wildfire burning in Rio Blanco County south of Rangely.
It has been named the Twin Buttes Fire and is estimated to be burning a quarter acre.
An engine was assigned to the fire early Wednesday afternoon to assist the smokejumpers, but there were no additional updates as of 5:15 p.m.
Fire danger is high in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, and moderate in Routt, Jackson and Grand counties, Barclay said.
Conditions remain dry and vegetation is receptive to any ignition source despite moisture received last weekend.
Stage II fire restrictions remain in effect throughout northwest Colorado.
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