SILVERTHORNE, Colo. – The Buffalo Fire burning near Silverthorne is now 20 percent contained, Summit County authorities tweeted late Wednesday.
Some residents who had to leave their homes due to the fire were being allowed to return temporarily to retrieve belongings Wednesday morning.
Summit County officials said people living or staying above the road closures at Twenty Grand and Ryan Gulch roads in Wildernest and Starlight and Royal Buffalo Drive in Mesa Cortina will be allowed into the area between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The Buffalo Fire started on Tuesday morning and quickly moved toward homes in the area, prompting nearly 1,400 homes to be evacuated. More than 1,100 additional homes were put on pre-evacuation notice.
MAP: Here are the major wildfires currently burning in Colorado
As of Tuesday night, the fire was estimated to be about 100 acres in size but officials downgraded that number Wednesday morning to 91 acres. Containment is at 20 percent.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but authorities said Tuesday that there was no weather in the area that could have sparked such a fire, hinting that it was likely human-caused.
Officials said 150 firefighters are working on the fire.
Resources for area residents
Residents with questions about this wildfire are asked to call the public hotline at 970-668-9730. It will be open until about 10 p.m.
There is also an overnight emergency shelter is set up at Frisco Elementary, located at 800 8th Ave., which opened at 8 p.m. and has full support from the Red Cross.
Summit Stage, a free public transit system in the county, is helping those without transportation to evacuate the Mesa Cortina and Wildernest areas.
Residents who left pets at home can call the Summit County Animal Control hotline at 970-668-4143 to help retrieve the animals.
A public meeting is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Silverthorne Pavilion, 400 Blue River Pkwy.
More information is available at summitcountyco.gov.
