It's been a quiet few days for firefighters working the Beaver Creek Fire in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming since wetter weather moved into the fire area last week, but fire managers say the favorable conditions won't last.

The fire has burned 35,340 acres since it was first reported 51 days ago, but rainfall in recent days -- including .25" of rain that fell Saturday on the troublesome northeastern front -- has largely stifled growth.

Sunday saw a significant improvement in containment, now up to 28 percent. Firefighting resources on hand include 282 firefighters composing 3 crews, 29 engines, 2 dozers, a masticator, two feller bunchers, four helicopters and one air attack plane.

Favorable weather has given firefighters the upper hand, allowing them build more fireline and spend more time preparing to defend buildings. Crews on Monday will repair damaged roads and remove trees that could fall onto roadways.

In Carbon County, Wyo., firefighters are evaluating areas north of the fire where they may have to defend buildings should the fire make a push in that direction.

Firefighters on the east and southeast area of the fire are being pulled back, having made significant progress in protecting structures, grazing lands, hay meadows and other threatened areas.

Along the fire's southern edge, firefighters hold the flames in check and are prepared to engage the fire should it push into sagebrush and grass in the area. The fire's interior is expected to remain active as fuels warm over the course of the day.

More thunderstorms are possible Monday, but fire managers say a drying trend will return to the area with no precipitation in the extended forecast.

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