Building Fire Lines Around The Douglas Complex Fire

The Douglas Complex Fire is the nation’s largest fire priority, meaning resources are needed there more than any where else in the country.

The fire is now in it’s tenth full day of active burning and more and more crews are arriving to help put the blaze out. And the way they are doing that is using fire to fight fire.

There are more than 2,500 personal working on the Douglas Complex fire, which has burned nearly 35,633 acres.

“We are spending a lot of time reinforcing lines, and building fire lines, the reason for some of that growth is to get a black line between the blacklines and where the fires are,” said Christie Shaw, a public information officer with the Douglas Complex Fire.

Among some of those who are joining the fire areBLM veteran fire crews, they moved to the Douglas Complex Sunday after establishing a fire protection line around the nearby Brimstone fire.

“Our biggest challenges on this fire are probably the steeper slopes and terrain,” said crew member George Trosi.

Currently, they are working in the southern end of the fire, essentially starting fires to stop the fire.

“The command posts a bigger box around the fire and we go out and we burn off the roads where it’s safer and help contain the fire in the box,” explained BLM Veteran Firemember Michael Tucker.

Some of the lines are nearly 1,000 feet long so when the fire approaches, there will be no fuel left, helping the fire die down.

“It feels good to be part of something that’s bigger than yourself and to help out the community and the local people. It’s just like the military, brotherhood. All theses guys, the majority of them are vets so it’s kind of the same structure of the military so it’s an easy transition,” added Tucker.

While crews are adding to the total amount of acreages that have burned, it is their best solution.

If you live near the fires, you may see more smoke in the evening time around the edge of the fire, because that’s when temperatures are lower and there is a less chance the fire will escape them.