#breckenridge #realestate #colorado
U.S. Forest Service officials are poised to reconsider wildfire danger in Summit County and beyond following a small wildfire that ignited outside Frisco on Sunday, July 9.
Currently, the county and surrounding region remain at low risk for wildfires, thanks in part to significant ground moisture from a snowy winter and rainy spring.
“It’s really important that we don’t let down our guard and think just because our fire danger is low we are not facing any threat,” Summit Fire & EMS spokesperson Steve Lipsher said.
Sunday’s fire, which was reported at around 12:30 p.m. after sparking near the Meadow Creek trailhead, billowed smoke that could be seen from Interstate 70 near Frisco. About 20 firefighters were called to the scene as three engines and a Forest Service-contracted helicopter worked to quell the flames. No evacuation orders were issued.
The fire grew to roughly three-tenths of an acre, less than the size of a football field, according to Dillon District Ranger Adam Bianchi. The helicopter was able to deliver enough water to help officials on the ground, who are currently in what Bianchi called the “mop-up phase” of extinguishing flames.
Bianchi said the fire is believed to be human caused, likely from a campfire. And despite the wet weather of the past months, the county has recently found itself in a dry spell, raising the stakes for wildfire safety.
We need to ban all campfires. Period.
