Larimer County Fire Crew Returns Home After Two Weeks Fighting Derby Fire
Larimer County Sheriff's Office wildland firefighters returned home September 19 after spending two weeks battling the Derby Fire in remote wilderness terrain near Eagle, Colorado.
The 10-person Suppression Module was deployed to one of the fire's most challenging areas, where the flames had spread into the Flat Top Wilderness region. Crews were transported by helicopter to the remote location and established multi-day camps, known as "spiking out," to maintain continuous fire suppression efforts in the difficult-to-access terrain.
The Derby Fire ignited from a lightning strike on August 17 and burned 2,625 acres in rugged terrain in Eagle County's northwest corner, according to incident reports. The fire's location in a natural bowl surrounded by thick mixed conifer and aspen fuels complicated firefighting efforts and displaced up to 400 residents due to mandatory evacuations.
"The Incident Management Team that ordered our crew inserted them into a difficult to access, remote piece of the fire's edge that had poked into the Flat Top Wilderness area," the sheriff's office stated in announcing the crew's return.
Larimer County's wildland fire program, established in 1998, maintains specialized capabilities for both local fire suppression and mutual aid deployments across Colorado and other states. The program includes the year-round Phantom Canyon Crew, a 10-person Suppression Module, and an on-call firefighter program that provides additional staffing during peak fire season.
Out-of-county assignments serve dual purposes for the county's fire program. The deployments provide real-world training opportunities that cannot be replicated in controlled environments, while generating revenue through federal and state reimbursement systems that help fund the program's operations.
"This experience not only benefits their career development; it also builds a strong team that's well-prepared for any local incidents," sheriff's office officials noted.
Colorado's mutual aid system allows county fire crews to be deployed statewide under interagency agreements governed by state statute. Costs for these deployments are typically reimbursed through federal emergency fire funds or incident-specific cost-sharing agreements coordinated through the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office maintains responsibility for wildland fire suppression on private and state lands within the county, working alongside local volunteer fire departments, fire protection districts, and federal agencies including the U.S. Forest Service.
As fire season transitions into fall, the crew will focus on skills development, equipment maintenance, and preparation for Colorado's extended fire season, which increasingly extends into autumn months due to dry conditions and warm temperatures.
The Derby Fire was managed by the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 3 and required helicopter support throughout the incident due to wilderness restrictions on mechanized equipment and vehicle access.