DENVER—Firefighters worked to keep a 530-acre wildfire away from homes in the central Colorado mountains by digging containment lines five miles northwest of Fraser on Monday, a day after it was reported.
The fire, less than a square mile, was about two miles away from homes, but residents of 18 subdivisions were warned Sunday to prepare in case evacuations are needed.
The fire is burning in very steep terrain in an area where large stands of trees have been killed by pine beetles. Experts disagree about whether trees killed by the insects are at greater risk of burning than live trees.
However, Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center spokesman Steve Segin said the dead trees, with their loosened roots, pose a risk for firefighters because they could topple.
Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Ann Chambers said it’s one of the first major fires to break out “right in the middle of beetle kill” in Colorado.
Land managers have concentrated on cutting trees killed by the region’s beetle outbreak in part because of fears that dead trees are more fire-prone.
John Simmons of the U.S. Forest Service said managers believe the fire was human caused, but neither the agency nor the Grand County sheriff’s office would provide details.
Four helicopters dropped water on the blaze Monday. Five air tankers were also prepared to help if the fire grows. Segin said the tankers were already in Colorado because of the hot, dry weather that has prolonged the fire season.
On Sunday, the tankers dropped 43,000 gallons of fire retardant.
In western Colorado, the Craig Daily Press reported the sheriff’s office in Moffat County was investigating two small fires that broke out there over the weekend. One is believed to be arson. The other may have been sparked by people shooting targets.
In Greeley, authorities were also investigating a suspicious fire—the third in just over a week. A stack of bailed corn stalks was reported on fire at 2 a.m. Monday, around the same time and about a mile away from the other two suspicious fires. Like other areas of the Front Range, the city has imposed a burning ban due to dry conditions.
