Both the fires were contained by Tuesday evening, emergency officials reported.

About 35 firefighters responded to a fire reported at about 1 p.m. west of the Vista de Oro subdivision off County Road 117 northwest of Breen, said Butch Knowlton, director of the La Plata County Office of Emergency Management.

By 7:45 p.m., the fire had burned about 35 acres on a small mesa thickly forested with piñon and junipers and heavy ground vegetation, including oak and sage brush. The heavy fuel conditions prompted emergency personnel to bring in a heavy air tanker from Grand Junction to prevent the fire from spreading east and northeast of the subdivision, he said.

"Having that larger aircraft made the difference as far as slowing the spread of the fire," Knowlton said.

Although houses in the subdivision were initially threatened by the fire, no houses were damaged and residents were not forced to evacuate.

Firefighting agencies from Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District, Durango Fire & Rescue Authority, Upper Pine, Los Pinos, Mancos, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe responded. La Plata County Road and Bridge Department crews also assisted, Knowlton said.

A second fire was reported at about 4 p.m. near the visitor center at Mesa Verde National Park, in Soda Canyon.

The heavy air tanker and a single engine air tanker, also from Grand Junction, were pulled from the fire near Breen and sent to Soda Canyon, said Mark Lauer, fire-management officer for the San Juan Public Land Center.

Lauer said that by 9 p.m., crews had a retardant line around the fire, which had burned four acres.

A Ute Mountain Ute engine crew planned to work the fire through the night, and the San Juan Interagency Hotshot Crew planned to work it in the morning.

"Fires are still remaining small due to the moisture we have received, which gives us time to get the resources we need on them to take care them. That's been the benefit to us," said Lauer.

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