A wildfire burning above Silverthorne has prompted 617 residences to evacuate and be on standby to evacuate, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.
The value of the structures under evacuation and pre-evacuation orders because of the Ptarmigan fire is about $400 million, Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said at a 1 p.m. news conference. The fire, which started on Monday, has burned between 85 to 100 acres. There is no containment and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
While the blaze immediately threatens no homes, evacuations were underway within an hour of the fire’s first reports. As of Tuesday morning, the upper and lower Hamilton Creek neighborhoods have been evacuated, with those in the adjacent Angler Mountain Ranch and South 40 neighborhoods were placed under a pre-evacuation notice.
“Our top priority is public safety,” FitzSimons said in a news release. “We prefer to err more on the side of caution and make sure that we have everybody out before there is an imminent threat.”
On Tuesday afternoon, pre-evacuation orders expanded to County Road 2020 (east and uphill of CR2020) and north of County Road 2021 to include the Daley Ranch.
A new PRE-EVACUATION notice has been issued for County Rd. 2020, east and uphill of County Rd. 2020, and north of County Rd. 2021 to include Daley Ranch due to wildfire activity. Be ready to leave for a safe destination outside the hazard area. #PtarmiganFire pic.twitter.com/CKql91j8RM
— Summit County Sheriff's Office (@SummitSheriffCO) September 28, 2021
The Ptarmigan fire is primarily on White River National Forest property, burning heavy mixed timber, including dense stands of dead-standing and downfall lodgepole pines.
Summit Middle School, which is still hosting school, is the site of an American Red Cross evacuation shelter. It’s located at 158 School Road in Frisco.
On Tuesday morning, firefighters used an air tanker, three heavy helicopters and a lighter helicopter to make fire retardant and water drops on the fire, mostly on its west side, said Dillon District Ranger Adam Bianchi at the news conference.
While afternoon and evening rain calmed the fire, the weather also grounded the aircraft for safety reasons.
As early as Monday evening, a helicopter and three planes were working the fire. Summit Fire & EMS, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service are involved in handling the blaze. Additional resources arrived Tuesday. About 100 firefighters are battling the fire.
“We will have a presence in those neighborhoods through the night to monitor the fire,” said Summit Fire & EMS Chief Travis Davis in a release. “Our goal is to keep the fire away from developed areas and hit it hard in the morning.”
Weather is expected to turn Tuesday evening into Wednesday as a front moves into the area. Temperatures are expected to drop with rain moving into the region. A light rain began falling in the fire area on Tuesday afternoon under cloudy skies. The temperature in Silverthorne was 37 degrees at 6:30 p.m.
Trails in and around Ptarmigan and Angler Mountain have been closed.
Authorities on Tuesday urged the public to stop flying drones in the area as a safety consideration for firefighters and aircraft.
A Chinook helicopter refills with water from North Pond in Silverthorne. An aerial attack during the day is crucial to fire fighting efforts. For this reason, drones are NOT allowed in the area of the Ptarmigan Fire. We are unable to fight the fire when drones are in the air. pic.twitter.com/e4ilsoMx3H
— Summit County Sheriff's Office (@SummitSheriffCO) September 28, 2021
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