BLM Monitoring Ferris Mountain Wildfire North of Rawlins

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District is closely monitoring the Ferris Mountain wildfire approximately 40 miles north of Rawlins in the Ferris Mountain Wilderness Study Area. The wildfire was first reported on Wednesday and is a suspected holdover from a lightning strike in the area nine days earlier. Unseasonably hot and dry conditions allowed the fire to smolder and it has burned an estimated quarter acre of mixed conifers in steep, rocky terrain on the south side of Ferris Mountain southeast of Young’s Pass. The BLM has decided not to pursue active suppression of the wildfire due to the difficulty of providing for firefighter safety in the difficult terrain but will continue to monitor it on a daily basis. A management plan has been prepared in the event the wildfire increases in complexity and the BLM is prepared to use point protection if resources are threatened. Hunters and other outdoor recreationists are urged to use caution or avoid the area entirely since wildfire behavior can change suddenly and fire spread is unpredictable if high winds develop.