Peak 2 Fire: Wind Shift Spares Breckenridge For Now As Battle Continues

A shift in the winds on Wednesday evening moved the Peak 2 Fire away from Breckenridge, sparing the resort town. Hours earlier, residents had been given re-evacuation notices and told to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Those notices were lifted for Breckenridge and Silver Shekel. re-evacuation notices are in place for Gold Hill and Farmer's Korner.

Meanwhile all of Peak 7 - about 463 homes, have been evacuated.

The fire is now estimated at 84 acres. There have been no reports of injuries or structures lost.

“I know this is a very difficult time for everyone in Summit County. Wildfires are one of the biggest threats our community faces, and incidents like this are extremely frightening," Summit County Commissioner Dan Gibbs said.

"We're doing everything we can to work with our partners to put out the fire.”

Summit Middle School is serving as an evacuation shelter. There were no requests to keep the shelter open overnight Wednesday.

Summit County Animal Control and Shelter is sheltering animals at the adjacent Summit School District Bus Barn.

The first call about the fire came in around 11:11 on Wednesday morning. The fire quickly grew to about 80 acres. (For more information on this and other local stories, subscribe to your local Patch for breaking news alerts.)

Highway 9 is open and there have been structures lost to the fire.

Officials say that the following resources have been dedicated to the fire:

• Eight smoke jumpers
• One 21-person hotshot crew
• Two heavy air tankers dropping retardant
• Two helicopters dropping buckets of water
• Firefighters from Red, White & Blue Fire; Lake Dillon Fire; Copper Mountain Fire; Leadville Fire Department; Vail Fire Department; Kremmling Fire; and North-West Fire.

“Crews used direct and indirect suppression tactics in coordination with aerial resources,” said Bill Jackson, Dillon District Ranger. “Crews will monitor the fire throughout the night, and we will regroup tomorrow morning.

"We appreciate the response and coordination of our partners throughout the last few hours.”

Officials say that while the wildfire is creating moderate levels of smoke, it's not expected to cause significant health concerns.

Photos via Summit County Emergency Office