A vegetation fire last weekend in Greeley that killed a woman and a dog and critically injured a man has been ruled an accident, the Greeley Police Department said Tuesday.
The fire was caused by a microburst of wind that produced gusts between 85 and 100 miles per hour. Those winds led to the failure of a wooden utility pole, causing power lines to fall in a field slightly west of 1st Avenue and 28th Street about 1:30 p.m. last Saturday, Greeley Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Ben Ojinaga said.
The power lines were energized at the time they fell, and sparks from the lines ignited vegetation below, Ojinaga added.
Strong winds led the fire to spread across an estimated 22 acres of highway property and nearby rights‑of‑way, according to a police news release.
The fire department investigation found no evidence the fire started in a nearby encampment or was intentionally set, the police news release also said.
The woman, identified as Dizarae Dawn Ochoa, 45, of Greeley by the Weld County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday, and the dog in the encampment died in the fire. A male suffered burns and remains in critical condition, according to the Greeley Police Department.
The Greeley Police Department said the scene was thoroughly examined and physical evidence, along with fire-pattern indicators, witness statements and meteorological data, was reviewed . The National Weather Service also provided an analysis.
The interchange near U.S. 85 and U.S. 34 was shut down for several hours late Saturday afternoon, but all lanes had reopened by 5:45 p.m., according to the police department.
