Breckenridge – Authorities have canceled the town’s Fourth of July fireworks show because of the high fire danger posed by dry conditions and stands of dead trees.
The public fireworks display in nearby Frisco, staged over Lake Dillon Reservoir, will still be held on Wednesday, as will Vail’s professional show.
Forests in the area are drying out after a run of hot, dry weather and also contain trees that have been killed by pine beetles. Two small wildfires broke out near Silverthorne in the last week but were quickly put out by firefighters.
“We’ve been lucky. That’s the truth of it, we’ve just been lucky,” said Brandon Williams, a spokesman for Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue.
Summit County is now under level 1 fire restrictions, which prohibit open fires, except those in established fire rings, and the use of fireworks. Sheriff John Minor said the county has no plans to increase to level 2 restrictions, which would also ban campground fires in fire rings.
Mark Hurlbert, the district attorney for Summit and three other mountain counties, has said his office will prosecute all fire ban violators and won’t negotiate any plea deals.
