An intense fire involving a huge pile of yard debris in Broomfield was still smoldering this afternoon, more than 12 hours after it was reported.
“It was a very dense, large pile, so it’s going to be there for a while longer,” said Wendy Forbes, a spokeswoman for North Metro Fire Rescue.
When the fire at 225 Commerce St. was reported at 4 a.m. today, flames were shooting 60 feet into the air.
“The worst of it is clearly over, but it was a pretty large fire, so we’re going to have to be there for awhile until it’s completely out,” she said.
The fire consumed a massive pile of trees, shrubs and branches at a city of Broomfield-sponsored refuse yard near the Eco-Cycle recycling plant.
Forbes said three engines were sent to the scene and that firefighters prevented its spread to the Eco-Cycle yard. Forbes said a decision was made to let the fire burn itself out.
The only damage was to a fence surrounding the lot, Forbes said.
Investigators are still unsure what caused the fire, but Forbes described the blaze as “suspicious” because of its intensity and because there are no potential ignition sources.
She said investigators will try to determine whether the fire was the work of an arsonist.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
