Getting your player ready...
VAIL — A wildfire on U.S. Forest Service land above West Vail is 60 percent contained, officials said late Friday.
Ground crews left the hill at nightfall. About 34 firefighters are scheduled to return at 7 a.m. today.
The fire, which broke out Friday afternoon, covers only one acre but it is in a steep area of lodgepole pine trees with extensive beetle kill, providing the fire with plenty of fuel. A heavy air tanker from Grand Junction and a helicopter from Rifle have made multiple retardant and water drops. At one point during the evening, 63 firefighters from multiple agencies were on scene.
Vail Mountain was evacuated as a precaution, but is expected to resume normal operations today.
