Beaver Creek Fire remains active, structure protection a priority

Firefighters are clearing brush and wetting grass on the edges of a forest near the Colorado-Wyoming border where a blaze has burned 8 square miles.

Crews are concentrating on keeping the flames from about 40 nearby vacation homes. So far, only a few small structures have burned.

Officials have stepped up their response since the blaze broke out Sunday, with 379 firefighters on the lines versus 120 earlier in the week. A team experienced in dealing with a complex fire got in place Thursday.

Team spokesman Brian Scott said Friday that large, standing trees killed by a beetle infestation are fueling the blaze. A dead tree could fall at any time, creating a risk to firefighters.

Scott says heavy rains overnight didn't dampen much of the fire, but it didn't spread. Thunderstorms expected this weekend could bring winds that spread the flames.