WALDEN — Officials say they are investigating the origins of the burning in northwest Colorado since June as being possibly human caused.
Commanders made the announcement this week after as much since the fire began burning on June 19. The U.S. Forest Service’s law enforcement division is investigating.
Dennis Jaeger, supervisor for the Routt National Forest, where the blaze began, said Tuesday that investigators should be able to say more definitively if the fire was human caused sometime in the coming week or two.
Officials have said there was no lightning in the area when the fire began, signaling that the massive wildfire was likely caused by human means.
An erroneous news release on Monday labeled the wildfire as “human-caused,” but the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday that has not been officially determined.
The fire, which in Colorado and Wyoming, is listed as 53 percent contained. Nearly 250 firefighters were assigned to the firefight about 25 miles north of Walden as of Tuesday morning.
Incident commanders are hoping to make more progress Tuesday in building containment lines around the massive blaze.“Cooler weather later in the week is predicted to be even more favorable to suppression and containment efforts,” officials said in a Tuesday news release.
Total containment is expected by Oct. 21. The fire has destroyed one cabin and a handful of outbuildings.