There have been some inquiries as to whether individuals can recreate near the Pine Gulch Fire. In clarification, all road closures put in place by the county sheriff are still in effect, as is the BLM closure order, since there is still an active fire and heavy fire traffic. It is common for the public to want to know when area and road closures will be lifted as containment increases but it is important to note that containment percentage doesn’t correlate to safety level. The reality is the fire continues to burn in the interior for many weeks. Not only that, the effects of the wildfire can be substantial, in the immediate and the long term. According to a Pine Gulch Fire update, “due to the immediate and long-term risks to both the public and the land, closures often remain in place long after containment is reached. This keeps the public safe and gives the land a chance to heal. All decisions on road and area closures are made by the local agencies that manage the roads and lands. In this case, the BLM Grand Junction Field Office will decide when it is safe to update the area closure in the Pine Gulch Fire area. They will coordinate with Fire managers, Colorado Division of Wildlife, other state agencies, and local jurisdictions to determine this change. As always, safety of the public and firefighters is the greatest factor in these decisions.”
