Above: Map of the Peak 2 Fire (shown in pink) created by the incident management team at 9:03 p.m. MDT July 5, 2017.
(Originally published at 7:55 a.m. MDT July 6, 2017)
The Peak 2 Fire two miles north of the ski runs at Breckenridge, Colorado slowed late Wednesday afternoon and at 7 a.m. Thursday showed very little vigorous fire activity.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday Colorado’s Multi Mission Aircraft mapped it at 84 acres.
Structures are threatened and evacuations are in effect for the Peak 7 housing development.
The photo below was posted at 6:41 a.m. Thursday by Carol McKinley.
A mile away from the #Peak2Fire shows smoke but few flames. Breckenridge is crossing its fingers for calm winds. pic.twitter.com/EO1v6K1umJ
— Carol McKinley (@CarolAMcKinley) July 6, 2017
The fire was reported at about 11 a.m. Wednesday near the ski resort 50 air miles west of Denver. Aircraft worked the fire that afternoon, along with eight Boise smokejumpers and a hotshot crew. Additional resources have been ordered.
At a media briefing Wednesday it was announced that a Type 1 Incident Management Team would arrive at the fire on Thursday.
The weather forecast for the fire area at 10,000 feet calls for 78 degrees, 26 percent relative humidity, and northwest winds of 8 mph gusting to 13.
The video below was shot Wednesday before the fire activity slowed late in the afternoon.
And below, another photo shot during the height of activity on the Peak 2 Fire near Breckenridge at 3 p.m.
#Peak2Fire yesterday 3:00 pic.twitter.com/dL5KToocTJ
— Geefer Man (@geefer) July 6, 2017
Sorry, that should be “make use” not “make up” but it won’t let me edit.
🙁
They should fly at first light, using overnight IR photos to determine the hot spots. The technology is there, so what is the delay? Delay on the Waldo Canyon fire allowed it to become the house-eating monster that burned over 300 homes. Granted the rules were different then (more stupid since the Air Force planes could not be committed until all the state resources were used up–really stupid; penny-wise, pound-foolish stupid). Still they should make up of the overnight die-down to make the fire less dangerous.
As is typical the fire laid down overnight. Now the USFS will hold a briefing which is necessary to get good intel to all the players.
Unfortunately as of 0815 this morning no aircraft flying. This is typical as well. Wait for the fire to stoke up into a plume while pilots sit around til a plume starts then launch. Never understood why they don’t at a minimum go in first thing in the morning and put buckets on the known hot spots that can rise up and threaten homes and lives.
Let the fire creep through or even burn intensely through the timber that needs to burn. This would be more along the line of fire management in my opinion.
My bet is this fire will blow up again today.