Fire Update – Stoner Mesa Fire
Monday, August 25, 2025 – 8:00 a.m.
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1
Justin Conrad, Incident Commander
Information Phone: 970-341-8668
Email: 2025.stonermesa@firenet.gov
Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Special Note: Yesterday there was a drone intrusion near the fire area. While fire activity has diminished, the area near the fire is still a no-fly-zone, as aerial operations are still taking place daily on the incident. If you fly, we can’t.
Current Situation: Fire activity across most of the incident remains low, with smoldering and creeping observed in many areas. In the Stoner Creek drainage, conditions are different. Dense stands of mixed conifer and closed tree canopies prevented recent rainfall from reaching the ground. As a result, dry fuels under the canopy have allowed the fire to remain more active, particularly along slopes and sheltered areas. Crews completed dozerlines and handlines, connecting Stoner Canyon and Taylor Mesa, to provide indirect control lines to slow or stop the fire’s spread.
Division A/E:
Due to weather and road conditions, firefighters along the north side of the fire, scouted the area and reported back fire conditions. Weather dependent, mopping up and patrolling along the fireline will continue from Stoner Creek to the Division X break. Mop up operations involve carefully searching for and cooling hotspots near the fire’s edge to prevent fire from escaping. In addition, firefighters are maintaining regular surveillance along the northern boundary of the fire. Patrols are monitoring for any new smoke or heat that could challenge containment, while also reinforcing control features as needed.
Division T:
The far east side of the fire received less precipitation than the rest of the fire area. As a precaution, crews scouted the fireline in that section to confirm that fire activity remained minimal. With the possibility of changing weather, crews are also monitoring road conditions. Rain can make forest roads slick and unstable, so traffic on Forest Service roads has been minimized to reduce safety risks for firefighters and the public.
Division X:
Fire managers are taking precautions with the changing weather. Heavy equipment has been moved off the mesa top due to safety concerns with incoming rain. These resources will be reassigned to other divisions where they are needed. Crews continue to make progress on mop up efforts along the Stoner Mesa Trail and containment lines are holding well.
Division W:
Heavy equipment continues working along the 201 road, though progress was slower than normal due to recent rain and ongoing efforts to protect resources. Out of concern for firefighter safety, no engines or hand crews were placed directly on the fireline yesterday. Instead, Division Supervisors scouted the area to assess conditions and confirmed that the fireline is holding. Looking ahead, crews will continue to secure recent firing operations, improve indirect fire lines, and complete the fireline connecting Loading Pen Trail to 201 Road as conditions allow. All future work remains weather dependent.
Stoner Group:
Firefighters continue to make steady progress on indirect line construction. The handline connecting the east side of Stoner Creek to the dozer line on Taylor Mesa was completed. Today, crews will include removing snags and cleaning up along this section to strengthen the line. In addition, work continues to extend the dozerline toward Pipe Creek in Division Whiskey. Once connected, this control feature will provide firefighters with a stronger anchor point and improve opportunities to slow or stop fire spread in this area.
Structure Group:
Moving forward, Structure Group 145 and Structure Group 38 will combine into one group. Yesterday, crews moved along both corridors to collect and remove excess equipment no longer needed for active operations, while ensuring that properties remain protected should the fire become more active. In addition, Structure Group will be working in Stoner Canyon, to protect homes and other values at risk within the drainage. Firefighters remain focused on maintaining defensive measures around the community while also supporting suppression efforts in other divisions of the fire.
Weather and Fire Behavior:
Elevated moisture will continue over the region, bringing more widespread showers but less intense thunderstorms than in recent days. Persistent afternoon cloud cover is expected to keep temperatures slightly lower while maintaining higher humidity levels. Winds will remain light, generally from the west-northwest, with occasional gusts up to 10 mph. This current weather pattern indicates a fire-slowing event.
With rainfall amounts expected to be around 0.20 inches, fuels are absorbing more moisture, making many live fuels temporarily unavailable to burn. As a result, fire activity is expected to remain limited to smoldering and creeping, with little fire growth anticipated. A long-duration hot, dry, and windy period would be needed before fire activity could return to the levels observed earlier in the incident.
To view an interactive smoke and air quality outlook for communities surrounding the fire area, visit Stoner Mesa Fire outlook: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/6691b261? (local area) and https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/99d43607? (large scale area).
Evacuations:
For real time evacuation information please follow emergency alerts from the Dolores County Sheriff’s Department at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067579500732.
To sign up for Emergency Alerts, please visit the Dolores County Emergency alerts at https://member.everbridge.net/311578402488579/new and https://member.everbridge.net/337829242601830/login for Montezuma County Emergency alerts.
Closures and Fire Restrictions:
The San Juan National Forest announced emergency closures in areas affected by the Stoner Mesa Fire. Additional details about the closure are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/sanjuan/alerts/stoner-mesa-fire-area-road-and-trail-closure.
Fire restrictions are in place for the San Juan National Forest https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/sanjuan/alerts/stage-2-fire-restrictions and all surrounding public lands and in Dolores County. More information can be found at
https://dolocnty.colorado.gov/stoner-fire-information.
Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org
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Fire Statistics:
Size: 10,243 acres
Containment: 42%
Total Personnel: 799
Location: 11 miles NE of Dolores, CO
Reported: July 28, 2025
Cause: Lightning
For More Information:
Phone Line: 970-341-8668
Email: 2025.stonermesa@firenet.gov
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cosjf-stoner-mesa-fire
Facebook: https://facebook.com/StonerMesaFire/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@StonerMesaFire
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/StonerMesaFirePIO
Interactive Evacuation Map: tinyurl.com/StonerMesaEvacMap
