Hugh Carey / hcarey@summitdaily.com
FRISCO — Fire danger in Summit County will be upgraded from low to moderate Thursday, July 11, according to Summit Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Berino.
When determining the fire danger, crews measure the energy release component, or how much fuel is in a material compared to moisture. Timber is near the 58th percentile, which is below normal for this time of year, and grass fire danger has risen slightly, Berino said.
Berino reported that local and regional fire planning levels are at a one on a one to five scale, with five being the highest, so resources are plentiful and the only significant wildfires are in Alaska.
About 120 wildfires burning across Alaska have charred more than 1 million acres.
Closer to home, this wildfire season is off to a slow start compared with last year, when Colorado and the rest of the West experienced one of the worst seasons in recent memory.
In 2018, the Buffalo Mountain Fire in Summit County nearly destroyed the Wildernest and Mesa Cortina neighborhoods, with flames burning within 30 feet of structures. The fire sparked in mid-June, when fire danger was high.
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service