Forest Service

"We've got a road here called the six-hundred road that has somewhere between a dozen and twenty structures, and it is right in the heart of the fire," Davis says.

The Forest Service emphasizes that forest users are responsible for knowing where they are and what types of restrictions may be in effect.

Fire managers say the fire had burned 18,787 acres as of Monday morning, including over 11,000 acres on the Routt National Forest.

Fire managers say any ember hitting the ground Sunday has an 80-90 percent chance of igniting.

Crews are working to protect structures in the Wheeler Creek and Parsons Draw areas, faced with the possibility that the fire could move further east.

Firefighters, now numbering 514 in total, will not directly engage the fire in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness area, opting instead to patrol and assist Forest Service staff in keeping recreationists apprised of the area closure.

Aaron Voos of the U.S. Forest Service says it may sound odd, but the fire may never be 100 percent contained.

"It's just not safe to put these firefighters right up against that fire," Sanchez says, citing hazards posed by the high percentage of beetle kill where the fire continues to burn.

Flames now threaten about 40 structures. Mandatory evacuations ordered Tuesday remain in place.

Fire staff worked with Jackson County and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to evacuate dispersed campers on Independence Mountain late Tuesday.