On Sunday, a ban on open fires was put in effect through today by Durango Fire Marshall Karola Hanks.
“The wind is just driving this,” Hanks said.
Strong winds downed power lines and created hazards Sunday afternoon as well as igniting several small fires in the Durango area. Issues with the wind are expected to continue through today.
Matthew Aleksa, with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said at 4:47 p.m. Sunday, wind speeds at the Durango-La Plata County Airport reached 61 mph.
At 5:30 p.m. Sunday, power lines were down and stretching across U.S. Highway 160 near Wildcat Canyon (County Road 141). Colorado State Patrol troopers were on scene managing traffic.
“The lines were removed, but drivers were driving over them,” said a Colorado State Patrol communications officer, who declined to give her name.
There were other reports of power lines in trees and fields around the county.
Hanks said she wasn’t sure if other districts were placing a ban on burning.
“It’d be silly to let (a fire) happen in any other district,” she said.
On Florida Mesa, Elaine Slade said “It looks like an Oklahoma dust storm. I can’t see 50 feet in front of me.”
She described relentless gusts of winds that filled ditches with dust and sediment obscured the sky.
“I know that the rest of town is blowing, but I don’t think that anyone else has wind like this,” she said.
Much of that dust, according to Aleksa, is from Arizona. He said the stronger gusts should die down Sunday night.
According to a news release from La Plata Electric Association, nearly 1,300 customers lost power as of 7:30 p.m. Sunday because of winds and downed trees, the majority of those in the Vallecito and the Durango West areas. Most customers in Vallecito had power restored by 8:30 p.m. However, Durango West was still in the black as of 10 p.m.
Hanks said she will reassess conditions today and consider whether to modify the open-fire ban.
bmathis@durangoherald.com
