Fire expected to be contained soon

AUGUST 10, 2000

The eight-day-old, 5,000-care Pony Fire on the Mesa Verde National Park and the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in southwestern Colorado is expected to be contained by Friday night.

The fire, which was sparked by lightning August 2 on the reservation, caused the park to close just as soon as it had reopened due to the Bircher Fire. That fire burned almost 24,000 acres of land in the park.

The Pony Fire burned some of the park's Pueblo villages and cliff dwellings but, except for one, none have been significantly damaged, according to intial park reports. A fire burned over the top of Mushroom House, a six-room structure not open to the public, on Tuesday.

Park officials hope to reopen Mesa Verde within a few days after the fire is contained. The fire was 53 percent contained as of yesterday evening.

Get the Story:
Park employees race toward reopening (The Denver Post 8/10)

Related Stories:
Fire threatens sacred artifacts (8/8)
Fire threatens park again (Enviro 8/7)
New fire sparks on reservation (Enviro 8/4)
Mesa Verde fire nearly contained (Enviro 7/28)
Indian firefighters skirt law (Enviro 07/31)
Rain could threaten Mesa Verde (Enviro 7/27)
Mesa Verde fire slows down (Enviro 7/26)
Mesa Verde fire grows, nears ruins (Enviro 7/25)
Fire threatens reservation, ruins (Enviro 7/24)
Fire burns Pueblo land (Enviro 7/24)

Relevant Links:
The Pony Fire Site - www.pnw-team3.com
The Pony Fire Site, Information - www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/pony/pony.htm
The National Interagency Fire Center - www.nifc.gov
Mesa Verde National Park - www.nps.gov/meve/