Fire officials are asking the public to “please respect the closure” put in place at Sylvan Lake State Park in northern Colorado amid an active wildfire.

With reduced fire behavior and smoke from the Sylvan fire 15 miles south of Eagle, officials with Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management Team said they have seen an increase in the public trying to enter the fire closure area, which includes all camping and day use in Sylvan Lake State Park. The closure is still in place for public and firefighter safety. 

In White River National Forest, the following areas, trails, and roads remain closed because of the Sylvan fire:

• Hardscrabble and Sylvan Lake areas
• Hardscrabble trail system
• Forest Service Roads 400 (Eagle-Thomasville), 412, 413 416, and 436 and areas north of Red Table Mountain Trail.
• South of Red Table Mountain
• Coyote Park
• Crooked Creek Park areas

Firefighters are asking the public to respect the closures around the wildfire to ensure the safety of everyone.

The Sylvan fire has burned 3,775 acres as of Sunday. A total of 318 firefighters are working the blaze and have reached 10% containment.

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in place for Pitkin and Eagle counties. Read full descriptions under the order here from Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and here from Eagle County Public Information Officers.

The Sylvan fire saw reduced activity and smoke thanks to another 0.3 of an inch of rain during the past 24 hours, officials reported Sunday.

In recent days, the Sylvan fire received nearly an inch of rain, allowing firefighters to make progress on containment lines. However, the wet, slippery conditions make the work more difficult and increase safety concerns for driving and foot travel for firefighters. No serious injuries have been reported.

Scattered showers are forecast Sunday as the warming, drying trend predicted for the coming week has been delayed, fire officials said. A 60% chance of showers and a 20% chance of rains on is forecast Sunday.

Drying vegetation is expected Monday and a warming trend beginning mid-week is likely to bring above normal high temperatures by the end of the week, likely increasing fire behavior substantially.

For updated information about pre-evacuation or evacuation notices or fire restrictions on non-Federal lands, visit www.ecemergency.org for Eagle County and www.pitkinemergency.org for Pitkin County. For updates to area, road, and trail closures and fire restrictions on National Forest lands, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver. 

A temporary flight restriction is in place over the Sylvan Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If a drone is spotted near a fire, all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Sylvan Fire. Photo Courtesy of CSP Eagle via Twitter.