Little Squaw Resort | Papoose Fire / West Fork Fire

23 Jun Papoose Fire / West Fork Fire

Posted at 22:30h in Papoose Fire by Little Squaw Resort 0 Comments

0 Likes

Dear Friends of Little Squaw,

On June 20, 2013 the Papoose Creek Fire (now part of the West Fork Complex) started in the Little Squaw drainage above Little Squaw Resort. It is believed to have been started by a lightening strike near the continental divide. On Friday, June 21 a mandatory evacuation order was issued for Forest Service Road 520, all staff and guests safely evacuated Little Squaw and the surrounding area, which has remained closed since.

Volunteer firefighters, led by Greg Pearson from Freemon’s Ranch, attempted to enter the area for structure protection on June 21st, but had to withdraw due to extreme fire behavior. They returned that evening and were able to get initial structure protection in place. At that time all cabins where still standing; we are eternally grateful for their efforts.

As of the morning of June 23 the Papoose Creek fire had grown to near 20,000 acres, is included in the West Fork Complex totaling nearly 70,000 acres, and is under the management of two Type 1 Management Teams. The West Fork Complex is currently the highest priority fire in the state. Due to ongoing extreme fire behavior in the area Little Squaw is not out of danger. We do not know the extent of damage currently to the resort and surrounding area, and will not know this information for several days. Structure protection continues to be a focus of the firefighting efforts and a Hot Shot team is actively performing structure protection at Little Squaw as conditions allow. We pray for their safety.

At this time Little Squaw Resort is closed until further notice. We are currently working on contacting guests with reservations in the next 2 weeks. It is unknown when the evacuation order will be lifted. Once it is, we will be able to fully assess the damage to the resort and determine a plan of action at that point. We want to ensure Little Squaw Resort is safe for all our guests prior to their return. We will continue to post updates on the website as they become available and work to keep guests updated 2-4 weeks in advance of their reservations.

We are thankful for the support we have received during this trying time. Our faith and the unending support of our friends and family has helped us through this ever-changing reality.

If you need to contact us directly, please email Rocky & Pat at manager@littlesquawresort.com, Kathy at littlesquaw@mindspring.com

or call 816-210-4135.

We will respond as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Kathy & Teri

Rocky & Pat

For more information on the fires, we have found the following websites to be helpful.

Hinsdale County Sheriff

http://www.hinsdalecountysheriff.com/Emergency_Incident_Info.php

GEOMAC Wildland Fire Support

http://wildfire.usgs.gov/geomac/viewer/viewer.shtml

Incident Information System