Firefighters battled a number of fires — some sparked by holiday fireworks or barbecues — along the Front Range during the first two days of the holiday weekend.
Investigators in Centennial say fireworks started a house fire on the 5800 block of South Quintero Court Saturday afternoon.
Cunningham Fire Rescue reported that a firework made its way up into a tree and caused it to catch on fire. The fire then spread to the exterior of a nearby home.
The fire was contained before it could damage the interior of the home. No injuries have been reported.
Denver fire officials responded to a house fire at 3516 West Alaska Place on Friday afternoon. Charcoal from a barbecue was reportedly dumped and ignited a trash can resting against the house. The flames reached the attic, which then caught fire. It was extinguished in 15 minutes.
Extensive fire damage to the house has displaced one adult and two children, according to the American Red Cross Denver Chapter.
Denver firefighters also extinguished 21 grass fires on Friday, according to Alex Paez, a public information officer for the fire department.
Paez says some of the fires were caused by fireworks and barbecues. Cause of the remaining fires are still being investigated.
Five grass fires were reported in Denver on Saturday morning. At least one of those was caused by a barbecue, Paez said.
Professional fireworks shows in Lone Tree and at the Rhyolite Regional Park in Castle Rock were halted shortly after they started small fires Friday night, 9News reported. The Lone Tree fire was extinguished in minutes. The Castle Rock fires burned about 3 acres, a city spokesman said.
9News also reported that an open space area near Broadway and Highlands Ranch Parkway in Douglas County caught fire after two adults in their 20s set off a bottle rocket Friday afternoon.
The fire burned through a home’s backyard fence and up to the home. An outside wall was burned and an air conditioning unit melted.
People need to be mindful since fires can spread more easily in hot and dry weather, fires officials warned.
“Our conditions were worse this year than last year at this time,” said Steve Segin, a public information office for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center. “We are in our driest period right now.”
This week, the northwest parts of the state are the driest areas, Segin said.
“But fire conditions and dangers can change daily,” he added.
He cautions people who plan to use fireworks to pay attention and find out if there are fire restrictions in their area.
Several other fires started Friday.
A 20-acre bush fire in Douglas County, near Griggs Road and South Daniels Park Road, was contained by local fire departments, 9News reported. The cause of that fire is unknown.
A 50-acre wildland fire in Larimer County was also contained Friday. According to Berthoud Fire, the fire started around 2:30 p.m. on Del Rio Road near North View and Bennett streets. A spark from heavy machinery started the fire. There was no damage to residences.
Steve Graff: 303-954-1661 or sgraff@denverpost.com
