Evacuated Paralympian Snowboarder Thanks 'Unbelievable' Firefighters
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (CBS4) - A Paralympic snowboarder who lives in Silverthorne was one of the hundreds of residents who had to evacuate from her home on Tuesday after the Buffalo Fire broke out.
"We were working on our yard when a neighbor said 'you guys better get ready to evacuate come look at this,'" Amy Purdy wrote on Twitter.
"We went into the street & this is what we saw. So crazy how fast this happened, we didn't even know a fire hit."
The fire burned very close to homes in the Wildernest and Mesa Cortina neighborhoods of Silverthorne, and fire authorities said breaks in the trees -- "fuel breaks" -- above the residences may prevented the homes from burning.
"If it wasn't for the fire breaks put in place our neighborhood would have burnt down," Purdy tweeted.
If it wasn't for the fire breaks put in place our neighborhood would have burnt down. So grateful to the unbelievable firefighters & air support team! A photo I took yesterday #Buffalofire @SummitCountyGov @Summit_Fire pic.twitter.com/6msjxTYPoq
— Amy Purdy (@AmyPurdyGurl) June 13, 2018
More than 1,300 homes had to be evacuated due to the fire and the mandatory evacuations remained in place Wednesday morning.
Purdy said she was "frantic" as she placed belongings in the car and left her home.
PHOTO GALLERY: Buffalo Fire
Purdy, who won medals in both the 2014 and 2018 Paralympics, said she is grateful for the quick work by the firefighters. "So grateful to the unbelievable firefighters & air support team!" she wrote.
A hotline has been set up for residents about the wildfire: (970) 668-9730. Those concerned about pets can contact Summit County Animal Control at (970) 668-4143.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.