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Update: Suspect arrested following Meadow Creek fire that burned 6.3 acres in Frisco on Saturday

Chance of the fire rekindling is "incredibly low," fire official says

Kit Geary
Summit Daily News, Matt Hutcheson
Summit Daily News
A drone photo shows the extent of a fire that blazed near Whole Foods in Frisco on Saturday, May 12. Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District used two drones, owed and operated by emergency response agencies, during the fire. Personal drones operated by civilians are not allowed near wildfires, the agency stated in a social media post.
Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District/Courtesy photo

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add information about the arrest of a suspect in the wildfire.

A suspect was arrested by the Frisco Police Department on Saturday, May 10, on suspicion of being involved with the Meadow Creek wildfire, which sparked Saturday near Whole Foods in Frisco. The suspect is not believed to be from the area, according to a news release from the town of Frisco, and is currently in custody. The investigation is ongoing and no further details will be made available at this time, the release states.

Summit Fire & EMS was on-site Sunday performing mop-up duties and investigating the cause of the wildfire.



Summit Fire & EMS battalion chief Ryan Cole said that crews have successfully contained the fire and consider the possibility of a rekindling low.

“We are currently investigating as we speak … We have multiple crews doing mop-up of the fire areas from yesterday,” Cole said late Sunday morning.



The fire, which extended to around 6.3 acres, was first reported around 5 p.m. Saturday. Summit Fire & EMS and Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District units responded and battled the blaze into the night. Around 8 p.m. Saturday night, Summit Fire & EMS reported on social media that firefighters had successfully limited the spread of the fire, which was burning in a field of willows close to Interstate 70 and Whole Foods. The fire burned town of Frisco Open Space land, according to the town, that is largely part of the Meadow Creek conservation easement.

“We are not really seeing any hotspots today … But crews will be on-scene for the next couple of hours,” Cole said on Sunday.

“With it being so wet and marshy, there are certain spots where the willows are holding heat inside of them. So, we’ve been going through and eliminating any potential for rekindle,” he continued.

Cole added that the potential for the fire rekindling is “incredibly low,” and his crews in the field were “not finding any heat” around 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Cole declined to comment on the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire, although Summit Fire & EMS did state that the fire is suspected to have been human-caused in a social media post Sunday night. The town of Frisco announced Sunday afternoon that a suspect was arrested by the Frisco Police Department in connection with the wildfire Saturday evening, though no specific charges were given and the town referred further inquiries to the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Cole extended thanks to assistance from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Frisco Police Department and Vail Fire.

He also extended thanks to the Colorado Department of Transportation for maintaining a closure of Interstate 70 between Exits 201 and 205 during the blaze.

A Summit Fire & EMS Fire Investigation Unit van sits in a parking lot near Whole Foods in Frisco on Sunday. Firefighters remained in the area Sunday to continue monitoring a wildfire that erupted on Saturday, May 10.
Matt Hutcheson/Summit Daily News
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