Five acres of land up Snowmass Creek Road burned after a vehicle exploded Monday afternoon.

The fire began by mile marker 5 when a passenger van near the end of a driveway caught fire, according to local officials. The fire was reported at 2:13 p.m. to Roaring Fork Fire Rescue and the Aspen Fire Protection District.

A fire crew patrolling nearby responded to the vehicle fire within five minutes of the call to find a 10-foot by 10-foot area of vegetation burning, which they extinguished, according to a press release. Roaring Fork Fire Rescue fire investigators are still investigating the cause of the vehicle fire. 

Minutes later the passenger van exploded, igniting dry vegetation in the area, the release states. 

“The fire spread quickly due to the current weather conditions,” Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Incident Commander Chance Goldyn said in the release.

The crews put down a “wetline,” dousing water on the fire’s perimeter to contain the spread. They also called in two single engine air tankers and a helicopter to drench the burn from the air, along with additional fire crews.

“We appreciate our mutual aid partners that came to help,” Goldyn said.

Single engine air tankers, planes used to douse fires, were approved this spring to refill at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, part of an intergovernmental agreement two years in the making. The approval keeps response times lower because the planes don’t have to refill in Rifle or Grand Junction, as they did in the past. 

Snowmass Creek Road was closed above mile marker five for several hours until 8:13 p.m. Monday while firefighters ensured the fire was contained. The fire was expected to be completely contained by 9 p.m., Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione said.

Snowmass Police Department had earlier closed access to the affected area of Snowmass Creek Road from Snowmass Village, Police Chief Brian Olson said.

Thirty firefighters responded to the scene from Roaring Fork Fire Rescue, Aspen Fire Protection District, Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District, White River National Forest, and Upper Colorado River Interagency Management Unit, the release states. The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office was also on scene.

Apart from the burnt passenger van and brush, Diamond believed the fire caused no additional damage to possessions or property. The release did not mention any fire damage, but said the firefighter’s quick response averted the need to send a pre-evacuation notice to local residences.

No firefighters or civilians were injured from the fire, according to the release.