News Release

Firefighters continue efforts on North Face Fire in Mesa Verde National Park

A burned area of the north face of Mesa Verde near Park Point. Air tankers supported crews on the ground with retardant drops, which can be seen in orange on three sides of the fire. Retardant will slow the fire’s progression while crews construct contain

NPS

News Release Date: July 29, 2024

Contact: Kristy Sholly, Public Information Officer, [phone]

MESA VERDE, CO – Interagency firefighters continue their efforts to contain the North Face Fire, which was discovered in Mesa Verde National Park on the afternoon of Friday, July 26.  

Despite an aggressive initial response from firefighters from the National Park Service and neighboring agencies, the North Face Fire grew rapidly to approximately 20 acres on Friday. Due to the active fire behavior at the time, the park was temporarily closed to entry; as fire activity quieted in the evening, the park was reopened at approximately 7:30 p.m. 
 
Eight BLM smokejumpers accessed the fire on Saturday and were assisted by engine crews through the weekend. Firefighters have been supported by a helicopter, air tankers, and intelligence aircraft. Thanks to their efforts, the fire did not show any significant growth through the weekend.  
 
The fire was mapped on Saturday and was 22 acres in size, which includes NPS and BLM-Tres Rios Field Office lands. Firefighters determined that the fire was started by a lightning strike on Wednesday that smoldered until conditions became right for the fire to grow on Friday.  
 
Crews have completed fire line around a significant portion of the fire’s perimeter but have not yet declared those sections of the line contained due to the amount of heat in some fuels near the fire’s edge and the possibility of gusty winds in the afternoons. Weather in the coming days is expected to be hot and dry with no rain forecast in the coming days. Crews will continue their efforts to contain the fire this week.  
 
Mesa Verde National Park remains open. Park Point Overlook and Main Road pullouts, which were closed for fire operations on Friday, reopened on the morning of 7/29. As always, drive slowly on park roads and give space to fire vehicles and crews in the park as they continue to work. Additional updates on the North Face Fire will be available on the Mesa Verde National Park website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed.  
 
Fire activity across the nation has put extreme demand on all available firefighting resources. Mesa Verde National Park would like to thank our partners at DFPC, the Southern Ute Agency, and BLM-Colorado as well as the other interagency resources that have supported the park response to the North Face Fire. 

Photo caption: A burned area of the north face of Mesa Verde near Park Point. Air tankers supported crews on the ground with retardant drops, which can be seen in orange on three sides of the fire. Retardant will slow the fire’s progression while crews construct containment line.