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Breckenridge fire department cleans up hazardous materials spill on Blue River

Summit Daily staff report
On Tuesday, April 22, Red, White & Blue firefighters responded to a HazMat call on the Blue River in Breckenridge. Firefighters deployed absorbent booms to prevent hydraulic fluid from flowing downstream.

Red, White & Blue firefighters responded Tuesday, April 22 to a possible hazardous materials emergency on the Blue River in Breckenridge.

The call was initiated by a passerby near Broken Lance Drive who reported an unusual sheen on the Blue River, according to a Red, White & Blue news release. Firefighters responded to investigate and immediately deployed absorbent booms to prevent the oily substance from floating downstream.

Once the booms were deployed, firefighters began searching for the source of the substance, tracing it back to a private residence off of Trafalgar Drive. Firefighters were able to isolate the spill and will continue to monitor the area of the course of the next several days, the release stated.



In total, firefighters think less than 5 gallons of hydraulic fluid was released into the Blue River from a tank that appeared to have been sheared off by this season’s significant snowfall, the release stated.

The spill did not affect drinking water quality for the town of Breckenridge, the release stated. The property owner will be held responsible for any environmental damage and cleanup costs.


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