With methodical tenacity, firefighters continue the work of suppressing the Ute 63 Fire, burning on Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribal and private land near Hesperus, Colo. The fire is now mapped at 530 acres and is 34% contained; field observers walked the fireline and confirmed the reduction in reported acreage. Crews worked Sunday to secure containment lines and aggressively search for remaining hot spots through a process called mop-up. Mop-up requires firefighters to sift through the earth looking and feeling for pockets of heat in the soil which could flare up and reignite the fire. When heat is discovered, firefighters dig it out and cool it down with water from backpack pumps, hoses, or even helicopters. 

Today, the 345 firefighters and support personnel assigned to the Ute 63 Fire are expecting more favorable conditions, with cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and a chance of rain. An Interagency Hotshot Crew will work the fire’s northern edge in Morgan Canyon while other crews extend water systems along the fire’s southern edge – all with the goal of keeping the fire firmly within current lines. Firefighters continue to cold-trail along all of the fire’s edges and patrol for any indications of heat.  

La Plata County Emergency Management has lifted the pre-evacuation, or “SET” status of Zone UTE63-1. All areas are now in the “READY” status. There are no evacuations related to this wildfire at this time.  

La Plata County remains under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions; for details, visit https://www.lpcgov.org/departments/emergency_management/fire_restrictions.php. The Ute 63 Fire is producing relatively little smoke; smoke in the area is also coming from other fires in the region. For air quality information, visit https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/justice-and-regulatory/epd/air-quality/ambient-monitoring/ and https://fire.airnow.gov.  

Ute 63 Fire Public Information Office – 2025.ute63@firenet.gov

To report fires, please contact:

Durango Zone Dispatch: (970) 385-1324

Southern Ute Police Dispatch: (970) 563-4401

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Photo 1: Firefighters on the Ute 63 Fire on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Credit: Ute 63 Fire Information Office

Photo 2: Crew on the Ute 63 Fire on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Credit: Ute 63 Fire Information Office