ALBANY COUNTY — As of 9:55 pm on Thursday, October 8, the Mullen Fire was roughly 173,747 acres. Firefighters increased containment from 14 percent to 18 percent, and there are approximately 1,186 firefighters and support staff on scene.

The fire is slowly progressing to the north and northwest due to heavy load of dead and down fuels and firefighters will use French Creek Canyon as a natural containment line. Along the western boundary, containment is increasing. There is some heat near Camp Creek but none north of the A-A Ranch to the northwest point of the fire.

On the south end, pockets continue to burn together with little spotting. Near Mountain Home fire continues slight movement except in recent timber sale areas. At Fox Park, fire is slowly eliminating fuels, reducing potential for reburn.

Firefighters are focusing on containing the finger above Woods Landing. From Albany north, fire in grass is more easily controlled but slow progression is expected towards Centennial where structure protection continues. Air resources have dropped thousands of gallons of water and retardant.

The mandatory evacuation along Hwy 10 has been changed to pre-evacuation. This includes Woods Landing and Jelm south to Colorado. Residents of that area can access their property but need to remain ready to evacuate quickly if conditions change. The power company is assessing this area to restore power. Hwy 230 remains closed westbound near Woods Landing. Boswell Creek Road is closed where it enters National Forest. All other closures and evacuations remain.

To stay up to date on Mullen Fire activity, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7208/.