Sunday, July 23, 2017

Dillon Ranger District reopens Breck area trails after Peak 2 fire

#Breckenridge #Colorado
Summit Daily News Photo

Summit Daily News


The Dillon Ranger District has reopened the recreation trails temporarily closed due to the Peak 2 fire.
According to a news release, fire crews have completed much of their work on and around the Miners Creek Trail. Approximately a half mile of the Miners Creek Trail, also section 7 of the Colorado Trail, is within the burned area of the Peak 2 fire.
The Peaks Trail, Miners Creek Road and Gold Hill Trail are also again open for use.
Deputy district ranger Adam Bianchi released a statement saying, "The crews conducted a lot of good work this past week on the Miners Creek Trail. They focused on felling and clearing snags in the vicinity of the trail that posed a safety risk. This section of trail can now be used again."
Signs have been put up on the Miners Creek Trail where the trail passes through the burned area. The signage will remind people to stay on the trail within this section for safety reasons.
"We cannot stress enough how important it is for people stay on the Miners Creek Trail for the section that goes through the burned area," Bianchi said. "Beyond the trail corridor, there are still snags and safety hazards created by the dead, down and burned trees."
At this time, the fire is not active. However, within the interior of the fire there is a chance some heat still exists and could flare up, and people should stay out of the burned area for safety reasons.
Currently, one engine continues to patrol and monitor the Peak 2 fire. Crews set up a monitoring camera early on in the week to monitor for any potential smoke activity within the perimeter of the fire.
The Peak 2 fire remains at 85 percent containment. It is not unusual for fires to continue to smoke on warm, dry days for weeks or even months. The fire could become active again, but firefighters do not anticipate much, if any, growth and the likelihood of the fire threatening communities is low.
More information about the Peak 2 fire is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5321/, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhiteRiverNF/ and by calling the Dillon Ranger District at 970-468-5400.