Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   It was hot on Monday.

It was hot the week before Monday and grasses crunched underfoot. Mountain residents watched the weather and the landscape. Any smoke sighting was taken seriously.

On Monday morning, while four large wild land fires moved through Colorado grasslands and forests, fueled by hot, dry air, a smoke spotting at the bottom of the Switzerland Trail and Sugarloaf Road came through around 11 a.m. About a quarter of an acre was burning slowly, pushing forward. About 45 minutes later, the fire had spread to about an acre. Pre-evacuation notices were sent out to Sugarloaf Rd., Sugarloaf Mtn. Road, S. Peak Road, S. Peak Trail, S. Peak Lane, Labelle Road, Nightshade Drive, Primos Road and Coyote Court.

Air support was requested. Just after Noon, the U.S. Forest Service said air support for the fire had been successful in keeping the fire from spreading. By Noon, the pre-evacuation was lifted, and it was estimated that the fire would be contained by 2 p.m.

The pilots of the helicopters were relentless. Soon the fire, on the ridge above Primos Road, was being bombed by helicopters with buckets of water. As help came from the sky, USFS fire crews and Sugarloaf Fire Protection District firefighters dug lines and pulled hoses to the site. The choppers filled their buckets from the nearby Silver Springs Lake. The air/ground team got the job done and by 2 p.m., this particular threat was done away with.

Officials said that the fire near the Switzerland Trail was about one acre in size on U.S. Forest Service land. The U.S. Forest Service said that air support and ground crews had successfully limited the spread of the fire.

In the meantime, smoke was visible from the fire, adding to the already smoke-filled air from the other fires.

Boulder County is currently under a burn ban, while the U.S. Forest service is under Stage 2 fire restrictions due to the hot and dry weather.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Spring fire in Fort Garland burned more than 56,000 acres and was approaching the town of Cuchara on Monday night. The town has been evacuated. It is reported that the fire was started by a man cooking in a fire pit the night before.

(Originally published in the July 5. 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)