A dozen vehicles were destroyed but no one was injured yesterday evening when a contractor camp caught fire north of Breckenridge.
An eyewitness, John, lives at the nearby Vista Verde Apartments, where he and about 15 others watched the fire erupt, sometimes literally.
“That wall of flame was so high I could see it from where I was, so it must have been 20 feet high,” John tells Krystal 93. “It was best to stay clear of that. There were definitely some loud booms coming from the fire.”
The call came into Summit County dispatch around 6:40 p.m. on March 23, according to Red, White and Blue Fire Chief Drew Hoehn. It was first reported as a wildland fire, which briefly made it difficult to find where it was burning.
Black, billowing smoke helped. Firefighters traced the smoke to a commercial dirt lot off Stan Miller Drive, where they found vehicles, construction material and heavy machinery burning near the banks of the Blue River.
Crews contained the fire in less than five minutes using a “surround and drown” strategy. The forest across the river was untouched. Chief Hoehn says the explosions were likely magnesium eruptions from overheated machinery. There were also several propane tanks nearby.
The fire was brief but intense, and as eyewitnesses saw, it was not easy to navigate the maze of machinery and trash bins. A ladder truck reached up and over the blaze. A nearby fire hydrant failed.
“It was all confined there, but it looked like the fire department had a tough time getting to it,” John says. “They had to arc the water over to put it out.”
Today, a dozen charred vehicles are wrapped in yellow investigation tape, including what remains of a demolished camper trailer. The exact source of the fire is still unknown. The investigation continues.
The lot is owned by a developer who is building homes and duplexes just to the north, including several workforce units. Eventually the lot will be part of the development.
Chief Hoehn says the owner knew contractors were camping there. The owner now promises to work with the fire department and town of Breckenridge to make sure this does not happen again.
The owners of neighboring lots, like Brenner Materials, tell Krystal 93 they are grateful the fire did not spread.
Preview images via @RBWfire on Facebook.