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Keystone Gulch Fire fully contained

Caddie Nath
summit daily news
Special to the Daily/Lake Dillon Fire-RescueA charred hillside Friday at the Gulch Fire near Keystone.
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Fire officials said sparks from a power line, possibly caused by the wind, are to blame for a 16.6-acre fire in Keystone Gulch that was fully contained Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters will continue to monitor the area to ensure pockets of heat don’t flare back up.

“They’ll be … there in case something were to heat up,” federal incident management team spokesman David Boyd said Saturday. “It’s pretty cold right now.”



Firefighters suspect a spark from a power line caused dry tinder in a nearby logging operation to ignite, starting a fire that would ultimately consume an estimated 16.6 acres and threaten nearby homes forcing 20 people to be evacuated.

No one was injured in the blaze and no structures caught fire. The evacuated residents were able to return their homes Thursday night.



Flames were first reported in the gulch near Keystone Ranch at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Strong easterly winds throughout the afternoon quickly whipped the blaze toward the Keystone Resort boundary.

More favorable conditions, help from federal firefighting teams and air support Friday and Saturday helped crews bring the blaze under control.


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