Fire officials are keeping a close eye on a fire burning about a mile northwest of Highland Bowl.
The Maroon Fire was ignited by lightning last Tuesday, and smoke was visible yesterday. Firefighters are not on the ground because of potential dangers.
“In this particular area we have a lot of scree fields and rock fields surrounding this stand of timber,” said Kevin Warner with the U.S. Forest Service. “The terrain up there is very steep, hard to access on foot.”
Officials are hoping the natural environment, including surrounding cliff bands, will continue to contain the fire. Helicopters have dropped some water and the Forest Service is monitoring the fire closely. It covers about a tenth of an acre, and Warner said it has not grown significantly. Forecasted rain later this week could put out the blaze.
