The 90-acre Paradise fire in Roosevelt National Forest has been 50 percent contained by firefighters from multiple agencies, the U.S. Forest Service said late today.
Reghan Cloudman, spokeswoman for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, said unexpectedly cooler, overcast weather has helped the approximately 100 firefighters on the scene.
The fire did not spread very much during the day today, she added. Firefighters were aided throughout the day by a large water-dropping helicopter.
The blaze is 15 miles west of Fort Collins on Buckhorn Road in an area of very dry grasses, which had caused concern earlier in the day.
Cloudman said that there has been sporadic “torching out” of trees in the fire but that because the trees are not heavily concentrated, no dramatic crowning has occurred.
No evacuations have been ordered.
Investigators have determined that the fire was caused by bullet fragments.
If anyone has any information about any shooting activity in this area, authorities ask that they call U.S. Forest Service Special Agent Kim Jones at 970-498-2709.
Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Larimer County Emergency Services, the Colorado State Forest Service, the Poudre Fire Authority and the Rist Canyon Fire Department are battling the blaze.
Although Colorado’s wildfire season traditionally lasts from May through September, much of northern Colorado remained under a “high” fire-risk danger on the Forest Service’s national danger assessment.
The mountains along the northern Front Range, including the Roosevelt National Forest, had a “very high” fire risk, according to the Forest Service map.
So far this year, Colorado’s wildland fires have been slightly above average for acres burned over the past 10 years, according to the state forester’s office.
A storm moving into Colorado is expected to bring snow into the area where the fire is burning on Wednesday night and all day Thursday and Friday.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
