A brush fire near Towaoc over the weekend that prompted evacuations and threatened several structures burned a total of 93 acres. Joe Morris, Bureau of Indian Affairs Ute Mountain Agency Fire Management Officer, told KSJD the fire has been the largest in the Durango Interagency Wildfire region so far this year.
The blaze started at about 3pm on Saturday, Morris said. High winds made it spread quickly, and it prompted mandatory evacuations. Authorities closed Highway 160 for over an hour as 35 firefighters from six different agencies responded.
No people or structures were harmed. Morris said a rainstorm Saturday night helped firefighters contain the fire, but it wasn’t fully controlled until Sunday afternoon. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.