Walden

Walden, Colorado is hosting its annual North Park Never Summer rodeo with a weekend full of activities.

The goal of fire managers is full suppression of the flames, but given the nature of the fuel -- dense, standing beetle-killed timber -- direct attack by ground crews is simply too dangerous an undertaking in most areas.

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.

Troup torching and crowning kept up into the early hours of Tuesday, a period that typically sees less intense fire activity.

Engine crews worked Monday to prepare to defend buildings in the face of advancing flames. Crews are building contingency lines in places that give them the best shot at success.

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

The 2016 North Park Never Summer Rodeo is Saturday and Sunday in Walden, CO.