Breckenridge Wildfire Small, But 500 Homes Evacuated

BRECKENRIDGE, CO — As a small wildfire burns near Breckenridge Ski Resort and the nearby historic town, hundreds of residents are sleeping elsewhere and authorities are rethinking their evacuation protocols.

So far, the blaze has scorched less than a quarter of a square mile, but nearly 500 homes — many of which are expensive ski properties — have been evacuated. No houses have burned and investigators aren't sure what ignited the blaze, which was reported by a mountain biker on Wednesday.

Breck is on fire #breckenridge pic.twitter.com/xZ7Q4G3Tvs
— Pbarton970 (@pbarton970) July 5, 2017

"We're re-evaluating and evaluating our evacuation decisions," Summit County Undersheriff Joel Cochran said at a community meeting Thursday night. "This is not an easy decision. This is a complicated fire."

It is one of several burning in Colorado and around the U.S. West. (For more Across Colorado news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Crews near Breckenridge dropped slurry from the air and built containment lines on the ground about 2 miles north of the resort to prevent the fire from reaching a large subdivision Thursday. Insurance companies also paid to send contracted fire engines to the area to try to protect homes.

Those who evacuated, including vacationers, were briefly allowed back to pick up items they were not able to grab before being told to leave as the fire blew up. The blaze quickly sent up a column of smoke visible from Interstate 70 and the 19th-century Victorian buildings in the town of Breckenridge, a onetime gold-mining camp.

Residents and tourists in town have been warned to be ready to leave in case the fire spreads toward it. The base of the resort — which includes hotels, restaurants and businesses — was not evacuated.

The Peak 2 Fire in Breckenridge pic.twitter.com/qkM7GUD8D7
— Susan Gentile (@2sweetboysmom) July 5, 2017

Nebraska resident Sheila Calhorn was among those who had their vacations interrupted by the fire near the Colorado Trail, a nearly 500-mile hiking and biking route through the mountains.

"We were down in Breckenridge and we looked outside, and people were all staring into the sky, and you could see smoke just billowing up," she told the Summit Daily News in Frisco.

"This was supposed to be a stress-relieving vacation," she said.

The fire, which was burning beetle-killed trees in the White River National Forest, comes as fires ripped through parts of the Western United States.

A blaze in the Little Rocky Mountains of Montana grew to 13 square miles and threatened a small town. Officials bolstered crews and equipment to protect buildings Friday after about 40 residents were urged to leave the historic mining town of Landusky.

Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report.

Photos credit: Tony Cooper via AP; Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP