Viral campfire video highlights Colorado wildfire fears during busy Fourth of July weekend in Summit County

An abandoned campfire found still smoldering in the woods near Frisco has become a stark reminder of just how high wildfire danger remains across Summit County. The illegal fire, discovered near the Miners Creek area near Frisco over the Fourth of July weekend, came as the county remains under Stage 2 fire restrictions (campfires are prohibited).

"It just takes one fire to get out of control," Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said. "One violation of this fire ban and it takes a community to enforce it, which the community is doing."

A worried local spotted smoke rising from the unattended fire and called 911, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies responded and found embers still burning, and the camper nowhere to be found.

"Fire is not out until it's cold to the touch," FitzSimons said. "The fact that a fire is smoky, it's not cold to the touch."

The sheriff's office has identified the out-of-state camper believed to be responsible and plans to issue a citation.

The incident also sparked confusion online, with some wildfire tracking apps labeling the response as the "Miners Creek Fire," leading residents to wonder whether a wildfire had broken out near Frisco.

"There is no Miners Creek Fire. It was a campfire," FitzSimons said.

The misinformation generated calls from worried residents.

"I literally had phone calls yesterday about, 'Should we be evacuating?'" FitzSimons said.

He encouraged residents to rely on official sources such as Summit County Alerts and local emergency agencies for wildfire information rather than interpreting mapping apps on their own.

The abandoned campfire wasn't the only close call during the holiday weekend. Red, White & Blue Fire also responded to a structure fire on Peak 7 which officials said began after an outdoor heater ignited a home's siding.

"Certainly not malicious, but it makes us all nervous," Division Chief Matt Benedict said.

While crews stopped the fire before it spread, Benedict said the incident illustrates just how dry conditions have become.

"You think about the siding on the side of your house is as dry as the trees are," he said. "Everything's more likely to burn at this point."

It's a harsh reminder, with smoke in the air, that even little mistakes can become wildfires out of control. 

"We're only in the beginning of July," FitzSimons said. "We have months ahead of us, and it's only going to get hotter and drier."