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JULY 28, 2000

The Bircher fire in the Mesa Verde National Park is now 70 percent contained and fire officials are confident they can contain the rest of it within a matter of days.

"Due to the hard work of many dedicated firefighters, we feel we will have the fire contained in three days," stated Mike Lohrey, incident commander of the fire.

Steep terrain, limited access, and extremely dry fuels are cited as some of the difficulties cited by the fire team battling the blaze. It was started last Thursday by fire.

The fire has burned approximately 23,000 acres since then. It is expected to be 100 percent contained by Saturday evening.

Luckily, the park's most treasured resources, the Pueblo villages and sites, were not damaged by the fire. An official said the park could reopen in as soon as 10 days.

Related Stories:
Rain could threaten Mesa Verde (7/27)
Mesa Verde fire slows down (7/26)
Mesa Verde fire grows, nears ruins (7/25)
Fire threatens reservation, ruins (7/24)
Fire burns Pueblo land (7/24)

More Fire Stories:
Pueblo monument fire out of control (Enviro 05/08)
Fire closes National Laboratory (Enviro 05/09)
Pueblo affected by fire (Enviro 05/11)
Sacred site saved from fire (Enviro 5/15)
Fire burns Pueblo land (Enviro 5/16)
Clinton suspends prescribed burns (Enviro 5/17)
Pueblo seeks fire aid (Enviro 5/18)
Pueblo still affected by fire (Enviro 5/19)

Relevant Links:
The Bircher Fire Site, Type I Team - www.pnw-team3.com
The Bircher Fire Site, US Forest Service - www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/bircher
The National Interagency Fire Center - www.nifc.gov
Mesa Verde National Park - www.nps.gov/meve/