Jefferson County officials said Friday morning that they have launched an arson investigation into the Quarry fire burning southwest of Denver because they believe it was human caused.
“The reason it’s an arson investigation is that we preliminarily believe that this fire is human-caused in some manner,” said Kevin Bost, criminal investigations division chief for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
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Crews gain some containment on 3 fires burning along Front Range
Light winds and higher humidity overnight helped crews gain containment on the Alexander Mountain, Stone Canyon fires; more firefighters help with Quarry fire
Read moreThe fire, which has burned about 431 acres in Deer Creek Canyon as of Friday morning, was discovered at about 9 p.m. Tuesday by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy. It was only about 100 square feet and in open space, but the flames quickly spread.
Bost said investigators know the fire’s point of origin, but officials would not answer questions about whether they have identified a suspect because “it is an active investigation.”
Bost said the fire started in a switchback area above Grizzly Drive.
The Meadowlark Trail, a hiking path in Deer Creek Canyon Park, is in that area and it has switchbacks just above Grizzly Drive.
Investigators are using “every resource possible,” including the state’s K9 fire investigator, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokesperson Karlyn Tilley. Those who might have any information, including home camera video about the time the fire started, are asked to call the county’s tip line at 303-271-5612.
The fire did not grow much overnight Thursday into Friday. It has come within about a quarter-mile of homes, but so far no structures have been destroyed.
About 600 homes have been evacuated because of the fire.
Jefferson County authorities have hinted for days that they believed the origin of the Quarry fire was suspicious.
Anytime you see a fire like that start at 9 p.m., “it makes you scratch your head a little bit,” Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said Wednesday.
Separately, fire investigators in Larimer County are asking the public for any photos, video or information from Monday morning in the area where the Alexander Mountain fire started west of Loveland.
The fire has burned more than 9,100 acres, as of Friday morning. Anyone who might have information is being asked to call the Forest Service Law Enforcement tip line at 303-275-5266.
Officials working the Stone Canyon fire near Lyons have said the cause of that fire remains unknown. One person died in that blaze.
The Lake Shore fire, which burned a home near Gross Reservoir on Wednesday, was likely accidentally started by people working on a property in the area, Boulder County authorities said.
Hot, dry weather has left much of Colorado susceptible to new fires.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.