DENVER – Hot, windy conditions across Colorado left firefighters battling multiple wildfires Thursday, with new evacuations ordered in what has become the state’s most damaging fire season in history.
A blaze near Colorado Springs that has claimed two lives and more than 500 homes was fully contained Thursday, but investigators still were scouring for clues about the cause of the fire that broke out June 11.
El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said investigators are on their hands and knees using magnifying glasses to go over a 28-square-foot area in the Black Forest Fire. He said they have all but ruled out natural causes, but he wouldn’t release any other details.
Maketa said evacuation calls were made to the home phone of the couple who died, but it’s not clear if they ever got the message.
At least six other wildfires were active in the state Wednesday.
The East Peak Fire in Huerfano County prompted evacuation orders near La Veta. The Huerfano County Courthouse in Walsenburg was closed as a precaution. Neighboring Las Animas County also evacuated an unknown number of homes, Sheriff James Casias said.
Evacuations also were ordered in Southwest Colorado, where two backcountry fires started by lightning earlier this month were growing near Wolf Creek Ski Area.
As temperatures and winds picked up on the last day before summer, Coloradans also were affected by smoke from fires outside the state’s borders. Wildfires in Utah and Arizona sent smoke into Dinosaur National Monument as well as Grand Junction and other towns near the borders.
The Colorado health department issued wildfire smoke advisories Thursday for parts of metro Denver and stretching south to include Colorado Springs. Smoke advisories also were issued for many southern and central Colorado towns, including Pueblo, Cripple Creek and La Junta.
People in smoke-affected areas were advised to limit outdoor exercise. The elderly, young and sick were advised to stay indoors.
