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AUGUST 8, 2000

The Pony Fire in the Mesa Verde National Park has burned 5,000 acres and is less than 5 percent contained, threatening a warehouse filled with sacred artifacts in addition to some of the park's cliff dwellings.

The fire is the second in less than a month to strike the southwestern Colorado park. It has closed the park yet again, just hours after it had been reopened last Friday.

The Pony Fire is small in size, but just as serious as the earlier Bircher Fire. That blaze burned almost 24,000 acres and took fire crews ten days to contain it.

The new fire first began challenging crews on a remote section of the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, where lightning started the blaze last Wednesday. About 360 people are assigned to the fire, along with 9 fire engines, five helicopters, and three airtankers.

A brief let up in the weather and some rain showers helped crews on Monday. But park officials are still very worried about threat to some of the lesser visited cliff dwellings in the park, which are about 1.5 miles away from the fire.

Park officials are also worried about a warehouse containing 2.5 million artifacts uncovered at various sites. Some of the items date back to 550 AD.

Human remains and sacred objects are part of the collection.

Indian fire crews continue to play a role in battling the blaze. Some who were part of the Bircher Fire team took to reburying artifacts and other items as they came upon them.

Related Stories:
Fire threatens park again (Enviro 8/7)
New fire sparks on reservation (Enviro 8/4)
Mesa Verde fire nearly contained (Enviro 7/28)
Indian firefighters skirt law (Enviro 07/31)
Rain could threaten Mesa Verde (Enviro 7/27)
Mesa Verde fire slows down (Enviro 7/26)
Mesa Verde fire grows, nears ruins (Enviro 7/25)
Fire threatens reservation, ruins (Enviro 7/24)
Fire burns Pueblo land (Enviro 7/24)

Relevant Links:
The Pony Fire Site - www.pnw-team3.com
The Pony Fire Site, Information - www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/pony/pony.htm
The National Interagency Fire Center - www.nifc.gov
Mesa Verde National Park - www.nps.gov/meve/