The Olde Stage fire in Boulder County — which burned more than 2,500 acres, claimed two barns and damaged several homes last week — was caused by a cable line that was blown into contact with a power line, Boulder Sheriff’s Cmdr. Phil West said this afternoon.
When the cable came into contact with the power line, it created an arc that showered the ground with sparks, igniting the fire, said West.
The incident was witnessed by an area resident who immediately notified the sheriff’s communications center and told dispatchers that the fire was spreading rapidly because of strong winds.
West said that investigators from the Sheriff’s Department and Xcel Energy determined the cause on Tuesday.
Two fires on Jan. 7 caused the evacuation of more than 11,000 Boulder County residents and dozens of livestock when high winds whipped the Front Range.
The Olde Stage and Neva Road fires burned more than 3,000 acres.
Investigators determined last week that the Neva Road fire was caused by a downed power line that fell on a wire fence, energizing the fence and causing arcing that sparked a fire at a home and outbuilding at the intersection of North 45th Street and Neva Road.
The Neva Road fire destroyed the home of Bobra Goldsmith, the owner of Rocky Mountain Llamas.
Goldsmith, 78, said all that remained of the home were “three tall chimneys sticking up.”
Gone was the artwork bequeathed to her from her artist mother along with the possessions gathered over years of marriage.
Goldsmith trains and boards llamas and alpacas. A herd of female llamas had taken shelter from the wind near her barn.
But after the fire erupted, she and friends moved the animals to a pasture about 150 feet away to keep them safe.
During the fires, about 9,600 acres were closed to residents. Ranch owners loaded hundreds of horses and llamas onto trailers and fled in long caravans to safety.
Warm, dry Chinook winds had gusted up to 80 mph.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
