An unexpected turn of events unfolded yesterday as a helicopter aiding in the firefighting efforts of the Derby Fire ended up submerged in a lake 13 miles northwest of the Eagle County Regional Airport. The pilot was retrieved by another aircraft dedicated to the Derby Fire and taken back to the airport. Upon evaluation by emergency medical personnel, the pilot was found to have sustained only minor injuries, escaping with just "minor bumps and bruises," according to KDVR.
As this incident took place, the Derby Fire itself continued its relentless spread, prompting Eagle County Emergency Management to signal pre-evacuations for new zones along Colorado River Road yesterday. Residents in the affected areas now face the possibility of imminent evacuation due to a fire that has grown to over 4,100 acres and is shaping landscapes without any current containment. The fire started last Saturday and, report The Denver Gazette, it burned not propelled by wind, but feeding upon the available fuels in its path.
Alongside the Derby Fire, four other wildfires – known as the Lee, Elk, Stoner Mesa, and Crosho fires – are ravaging through Colorado's Western Slope. Together, these infernos have consumed a harrowing expanse of more than 168,000 acres, reshaping roughly 264 square miles of landscape. In acknowledgment of the incident with the helicopter, "U.S. Forest Service crews are headed to the scene," said White River National Forest administrator Curtis Keech, as reported by the Fort Morgan Times.
