Fire crews in Colorado mountain county finally get green light to burn delayed pile projects

After waiting weeks for the right conditions, firefighters in Summit County and with the U.S. Forest Service finally began burning slash piles near Blue River and between Silverthorne and Frisco, tackling wildfire mitigation work that's been on hold since the fall.

Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District and the Forest Service are clearing a nearly 800-foot-wide treatment area south of Breckenridge, as well as on Lake Hill near the Dillon Revisor. The burns are part of a multi-year effort to thin dense forest, remove fuel and slow the spread of a potential wildfire.

"This fall was a little frustrating for all of us," said Mathew Benedict, division chief of wildfire and community preparedness for Red White & Blue Fire. "The snow just didn't come. We need around four to six inches across a unit to start burning, and we just didn't get it." 

Ironically, once the snow arrived, it fell deeper and heavier than was ideal, making it harder to reach some piles and even harder to ignite them. Crews also need precisely the right wind conditions -- enough movement to lift smoke out of the valley, but not so much that torches won't stay lit.

"We want that sweet spot," Benedict said. "We want the smoke to evacuate, and we also need to be able to light the piles."

Even with feet of snow on the ground and messaging signs along the highways, Benedict said dispatch still fields a wave of 911 calls from people who spotted the smoke every time they do a burn like this. 

"They sounded a little busy," Benedict said, referencing his check-in with 911 dispatchers earlier Monday. "We want people to be concerned, but we also really want them to be educated and look around."

Fire officials are urging anyone who lives in or visits mountain communities to sign up for county alert systems, so they know when burns are planned, and so emergency operators aren't overwhelmed by calls. Crews expect to continue burning through Thursday, depending on how the weather shifts, but they are confident that the chance for these burns to get out of hand is negligible thanks to the snowfall.

"Community risk reduction, one pile at a time," Benedict said.