A fire attributed to a lightning strike broke out Sunday on Lumpy Ridge just east of Twin Owls in Rocky Mountain National Park. The fire was reported on Pulse Point at 12:07 p.m. A plume of white smoke from the fire could be seen from the Ranch Meadow Condominiums and the parking lot of the Upper Stanley Village Shopping Center.
Firefighters from Rocky Mountain National Park and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District responded to the fire, which consumed approximately .30 acres.
According to Kyle Patterson, the RMNP public information officer, a containment line was established around 4 p.m. around the fire.
Today, fire crews are continuing mop-up operations, and fire managers are using a Douglas County Type 2 helicopter to transport water bags for park fire crews to extinguish the remainder of any duff.
While lightning was not seen in the immediate area at the time the fire was reported, a phenomenon known as “holdover fires” or “sleeper fires” can ignite fire hours or even days after a lightning strike.
These fires start from a lightning strike that hits a tree or the ground, igniting flammable material beneath the surface. The fire may smolder underground or in deep duff layers and not immediately erupt into visible flames. Over time, as conditions dry out and winds pick up, a fire can flare up and spread.
In addition to the Twin Owl Fire, the Estes Valley Fire Protection District dealt with another wildland fire in the area of Devils Gulch Road and North Lane, near MacGregor Ranch and the Lumpy Ridge entrance to RMNP, and a multicar accident on Highway 7 at Lily Lake. The RMNP Search and Rescue litter team was also involved in a rescue near Timberline Falls that included support from a Colorado Army National Guard helicopter from Buckley Space Force Base.
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