UPDATE: Wildfire near Breckenridge neighborhood is contained; officials believe campfire to be the cause
Andrew Maciejewski/Summit Daily News
4 p.m. — Officials have contained a small wildfire roughly the size of a quarter of an acre that was reported east of Breckenridge in unincorporated Summit County on Sunday, July 7.
The fire, which ignited in a clearing along a ridge line overlooking the north side of Breckenridge’s Wellington Neighborhood, was reported shortly before 1 p.m., said White River National Forest spokesperson David Boyd.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a campfire that was still active. Boyd said it is critical that proper steps are taken when leaving a campfire.
“Before you abandon a campfire, you want to make sure that it is cold to the touch,” by dousing the fire in water, mixing up the remains and repeating until it is possible to put a hand on the area. “It may seem like it’s done when you leave, but they hold heat for a really long time.”
Boyd credited “both a quick report from the public and a quick multi-agency response,” which included the Forest Service, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District and Summit Fire & EMS, for helping keep the fire from spreading. He added that firefighting personnel will remain on scene until the fire is fully extinguished.
“When we call a fire contained, that means we have a fire line around it that we feel confident will hold, but there’s still smoldering,” Boyd said. “So, we’re going in and making sure that we’re putting out all the little hotspots.”
1:30 p.m. — A wildfire roughly the size of a quarter of an acre was reported near the Wellington Neighborhood in Breckenridge around 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, according to Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons.
FitzSimons said the fire is burning in a clearing along a ridge line overlooking the north side of the neighborhood, according to preliminary reports. The clearing contains low-level brush and dead trees and fire personnel are currently on-scene putting a line around the fire.
“Currently, the neighborhood is not threatened,” FitzSimons said, adding there is no evacuation order for Wellington currently in place.
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