La Plata Fire Closure Area Reduced

PUEBLO, Colo., Sept. 16, 2025 – Today, forest officials reduced the size of the closure in place on National Forest System lands near the La Plata Fire in Lake and Chaffee counties. 

The Leadville Ranger District issued the closure order Aug. 29, 2025, for firefighter and public safety, given the active La Plata Fire and fire suppression activity in the area. Due to decreased fire activity, forest officials are rescinding Forest Order #02-12-01-25-18 and replacing it with Forest Order #02-12-01-25-20.

With the new order, La Plata Peak Trail #1474 and La Plata (North) Trailhead and Parking Lot have reopened. This new order is effective until Jan. 1, 2026, or until rescinded. 

The 133-acre La Plata Fire started on Aug. 17, 2025, by an abandoned campfire and is 66% contained. Eleven personnel, including one type three helicopter, continue to actively suppress the fire using ground and aerial resources.

Interior pockets of heat will linger until a substantial snowpack blankets the area. Warmer, drier weather may make smoke visible.  

For updated information on the La Plata Fire, visit InciWeb. 

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology–and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the United States, of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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