SUMMIT COUNTY—Summit County and area fire emergency officials announced their plans to burn up to 2,000 slash piles above the Wellington Neighborhood in Breckenridge at an informational meeting held Thursday at Colorado Mountain College. 

Summit County Open Space and Trails Resource Specialist Jordan Mead presented to the public the multi-agency plans for slash pile burning, urging the public to use Summit County’s SCAlert/CodeRED alert system to stay informed of the multi-day operation. 

Thursday’s meeting featured members from multiple agencies, including Summit Fire & EMS, Red White & Blue Fire District, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the US Forest Service. In a joint public notice released by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (2022, October 21), emergency officials from local agencies laid out guidelines for safe burning:

Burning will only be conducted under specific guidelines and plans established by the USF and DFPC. This includes having acceptable weather and fuel conditions in order to meet the objectives for safe and effective burning and adequate smoke dispersal. Piles will be allowed to smolder overnight and fire personnel will monitor the project area in the days following the burn.

A recording of Thursday’s meeting is available to view online here: https://youtu.be/EP72a1uGVeo

Residents of and visitors to the Breckenridge area and areas adjacent to the burn zone can sign up for SCAlert/CodeRED notifications for Summit County here: https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF280A5EDDF0 

Citizens sensitive to smoke may reach out to Mead directly by email at Jordan.mead@summitcountyco.gov or by phone at 970-668-4065

For more information on the treatment zone and other forest health/wildfire mitigation efforts, please visit https://www.summitcountyco.gov/1394/Wellington-Fuels-Reduction-Forest-Health