As of June 12, 2018, the 416 Fire is burning over 24,000 acres north of Durango, with 15% containment. They have close to 1,000 people fighting the wildfire, over 100 homes are on pre-evacuation orders, and for the first time in its 113-year history, the San Juan National Forest is closed.

There's a lot going on, for sure. But, why is it called the 416 Fire?

Most wildfires are given names like 'Rocky Gulch', or 'Black Forest', or the one that burned almost 250 homes and took one person's life in Northern Colorado in 2012- the High Park Fire.

That's why, to me, the 416 Fire stands out as a name. It's not really a name or a location at all.

I have a friend who lives in Montrose if he knew. He hooked me up with the info: It turns out that it was named the 416 Fire because it was the 416th incident to be reported to Columbine Ranger District in the San Juan National Forest.  It's not the 416th fire that they've had, but rather the 416th incident- such as a false alarm, a red flag warning or an actual fire.

You can keep up with the progress of the fire from INCIWEB HERE.

 

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