#DerbyFire Ryan Sharpe, Operations Sections Chief, discusses firefighting tactics on the #DerbyFire.
Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 took command of the Derby Fire from Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3 this Saturday morning, August 30th at 6AM. While higher relative humidity values continue to moderate fire activity today, firefighters are building control line as directly as possible along the fire edge. Hotshot crews are advancing handline along the southwestern side of the fire, beginning to turn the corner to move up to the western edge. Patrolling and mop-up continue on the southern edge. Crews are strengthening and widening handline, moving south from the Sugarloaf Lake area toward the cold fire edge on the southeastern side. Handline construction continues on the east side of the fire, moving north.
Location: 11 miles south of Meeker, Colorado Start Date: 08/02/2025 Cause: Lightning Size: Lee Fire: 137,758 acres Containment: Lee Fire: 95% 195 Total Personnel; 8 Engines; 2 Hand Crews; 2 Water Tenders; 2 Dozers
KEY MESSAGE
Containment of the Lee Fire has increased to 95 percent. The addition of black line on the map reflects steady progress by firefighters patrolling the perimeter and completing suppression repair. Crews continue to strengthen lines and ensure the fire remains within its current footprint as work moves toward full containment.
CURRENT STATUS
Suppression repair is progressing across multiple areas, with crews conducting debris removal and other restoration work in coordination with Resource Advisors. These efforts are being carried out to agency standards and are designed to support long-term recovery.
WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR
Scattered rain showers are expected to continue into Saturday morning. While an isolated light shower or thunderstorm is possible in the afternoon, conditions will trend warmer and drier through the weekend. Temperatures are forecast to return to the 80s. Winds will generally be from the east at 5 mph, with gusts up to 17 mph possible near thunderstorms.
Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3
Incident Commanders Casey Cheesbrough, Jay Miller, Ben Sanders
Derby Fire Quick Facts: August 30, 2025 Location: 13 miles north of Dotsero, CO Start Date: 8/16/2025 Cause: Lightning Size: Est. 5,738 acres Completion/Containment: 6% Total personnel 667
Hand crews, such as the one pictured, serve as the “boots on the ground” in wildfire suppression. They are able to access difficult terrain where machinery may not and may hike long distances to reach the fireline. These crews are generally made up of a sawyer or “bucker,” who builds hand line by cutting trees to clear the path ahead. The bucker is followed by the “swamper” who removes the cut debris from the path. Following them comes a line of multiple diggers, swiping with a hand tool, continuing to advance down the line. Working together, they gradually clear vegetation to mineral soil, which the fire is unable to creep across.
These hand crews carry line gear that weighs about 35-40 pounds. It contains protective equipment, tools, water, snacks, a sack lunch and a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE), if needed. All of this is to keep them fueled and prepared for the immense and difficult work that they do every day.
Photo: The Mimbres 1 Type 2 Crew, based in Socorro, New Mexico, pose with the tools they use to build control line, including a chainsaw and specialized hoes. The backpack straps they’re wearing secure their line gear as they work. This crew had been working to build and improve control line on the southeast side of the fire. They demobilized Saturday and will return to their base to rest and refurbish their tools and equipment before their next assignment. – S.Rawding/Derby Fire.
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3 thanks Garfield and Eagle Counties while welcoming in the new Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 3.
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3
Unaweep Wildfire Module 1 set up a time lapse camera on a prominent lookout west of Sugarloaf Mountain near where they were working on the southeast side of the fire. The view is looking north over the Horse Creek drainage capturing the #DerbyFire as it spread east from the morning of August 21 through the morning of August 24, 2025. Images were captured every 5 minutes. WFM1 Unaweep is based in Grand Junction, CO. #FireYear2025
Video: Clouds move past a dirt road as firefighters and engines periodically move past. Smoke rises from the right-hand side of the video, growing more intense as the Derby Fire spreads east. In the evening hours, the smoke glows yellow and red.
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3, Incident Commander Mike Behrens
Location: 13 miles north of Dotsero, CO Start Date: 8/16/2025; Cause: Lightning Size: Est. 5,736 acres Completion/Containment: 5% Total personnel 692
Key Message:
Firefighters continue suppression efforts. Smoldering and lone tree torching persist at higher elevations. Transfer of Command from Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3 to Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 will occur at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
Current Status:
Firefighters continue scouting opportunities to construct indirect dozer line on the west side of the fire as well as possibilities to engage direct. On the southern and southeastern flanks, crews are patrolling, mopping up and cold trailing. Cold trailing involves gently feeling the ground and partially burned vegetation for residual heat and extinguishing any remaining hotspots. On the eastern perimeter, firefighters are progressing with indirect handline construction as weather conditions permit. Structure protection crews are working to improve and maintain fire defenses around more than 500 structures along Sweetwater Valley, Sheep Creek, and Red Dirt Creek Road.
WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR:
Remnants of Hurricane Juliette will bring showers and thunderstorms on Friday, with potential for localized flash flooding and light debris flows. Over the past five days, the fire area received 0.75 inches of rain – more than 100 million gallons of water. Fire activity will be minimal until conditions dry out and several days of low relative humidity make fuels more flammable. However, low moisture levels in dead and downed trees will continue to produce isolated pockets of smoldering in higher elevation conifer stands. Isolated tree torching in subalpine firs is possible. Smoke may increase when sunlight re-energizes these pockets of heat. Gradually warmer and drier weather is expected beginning Sunday.
The Colorado River, Sweetwater, and Red Dirt Creek Roads have all been reopened, and the Garfield County and Eagle County Sheriff’s Offices have changed the evacuation status for Sweetwater Valley, Sheep Creek and Red Dirt Creek areas to pre-evacuation (READY) status: https://arcg.is/S0u4G and www.ecemergency.org.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the Derby Fire. All unauthorized aircraft (including drones) are prohibited from flying near the fire, as they can interfere with authorized air support operations. For more information, visit https://tfr.faa.gov.
All monitors showing GOOD air quality this morning and forecasted to remain GOOD all day. Very little smoke seen on the fire yesterday and the IR flight last night showed very little heat.
Equipo 3 de GestiĂłn de Incidentes Complejos de las Montañas Rocosas del Norte, Comandante de Incidente Mike Behrens UbicaciĂłn: 13 millas al oeste de Dotsero, CO Fecha de inicio: 08/16/2025;   Causa:  Rayos   Tamaño: Est. 5,736 acres FinalizaciĂłn/ContenciĂłn: 5%   Personal total: 692Â
Mensaje clave:
Los bomberos continúan las labores de extinción. Persisten las llamas latentes y la quema de árboles solitarios en las zonas más altas. El traspaso del mando del Equipo 3 de Gestión de Incidentes Complejos de las Montañas Rocosas del Norte al Equipo 3 de Gestión de Incidentes Complejos de las Montañas Rocosas tendrá lugar a las 6:00 a. m. del sábado, el 30 de agosto de 2025.
Estado actual:
Los bomberos continĂşan explorando oportunidades para construir una lĂnea indirecta con excavadoras en el lado oeste del incendio, asĂ como para intervenir directamente. En los flancos sur y sureste, las cuadrillas están patrullando, y continuando con la liquidaciĂłn y rastreo en frĂo. Este sistema consiste en tocando con cuidado el suelo y la vegetaciĂłn parcialmente quemada para detectar calor residual y extinguir cualquier foco de incendio restante. En el perĂmetro este, los bomberos avanzan con la construcciĂłn de una lĂnea manual indirecta segĂşn lo permitan las condiciones climáticas. Las cuadrillas de protecciĂłn de estructuras trabajan para mejorar y mantener las defensas contra incendios en torno a más de 500 estructuras a lo largo de Sweetwater Valley, Sheep Creek y Red Dirt Creek Road.
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3
#DerbyFire Ops Update Friday morning, Aug. 29, 2025. Phillip Knaub, Operations Sections Chief, discusses firefighting tactics on the Derby Fire. Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3 transitions to Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 3 Saturday August 30th at 6AM. As the drying trend continues through the weekend and into next week, smoke visibility will increase. Crews are working along the southern edge improving containment lines and continuing to extinguish any hot spots. Along the western edge, firefighters are working to create secondary handlines and dozer lines. Along the eastern side, crews are digging handlines to tie into existing lines and continue mopup operations.
Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3
Derby Fire Weather Update, Friday, August 29, 2025
Samuel Scoleri, Incident Meteorologist trainee, shares the weather forecast for the next few days on the Derby Fire north of Dotsero, CO. Remnants of Hurricane Juliette will bring wetting rain and possible thunderstorms today. Please be cautious as there’s potential for localized flash flooding and light debris flows over roadways. Beginning Sunday, the weather will be gradually warmer and drier.
