East Troublesome Fire caused by humans, officials say; Cameron Peak Fire cause remains unsolved
The East Troublesome Fire, the second-largest in state history, was human-caused, the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday.
Investigators came to that conclusion based on evidence gathered from where the fire started. Considering the area and time of year the East Troublesome Fire began, the agency's news release stated, a hunter or a backcountry camper may have caused it, potentially by accident.
The fire started about 15 miles northeast of Kremmling in the Arapaho National Forest on Oct. 14, 2020. It was fully contained Nov. 30, 2020, but not before it burned 193,812 acres and destroyed more than 360 homes as well as more than 200 other buildings.
The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association estimated losses from the fire at about $543 million. The cost to fight the fire was $15.7 million, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.
If not for a fortuitous snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of wet snow on the fire Oct. 24-25, the East Troublesome Fire likely would have heavily impacted Estes Park.
The Forest Service release said investigators are working to identify the person or persons responsible for starting the fire and that the investigation is ongoing.
Colorado wildfire funds: Bill gives $15 million to help fight fires
Cause of the Cameron Peak Fire still under investigation
The cause of the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in state history, is believed to be human-caused but is still under investigation.
The Cameron Peak Fire burned 208,913 acres during a 112-day run that started Aug. 13, 2020, in the Roosevelt National Forest about a 65-mile drive northwest of Fort Collins.
It destroyed 461 buildings, including 224 homes, and 17 business structures, and was the most expensive fire to fight in state history with a suppression cost of $133.3 million, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.
Law enforcement previously told the Coloradoan it was difficult to determine the origin and cause of the Cameron Peak Fire because erratic winds blew the fire back onto itself, erasing much of the evidence.
Loveland resident Colton McDonald told the Coloradoan he was on the first day of a 10-day solo backpacking trip into the Rawah Wilderness on Aug. 13, 2020, when he said he "distinctly heard a gunshot discharge.'' He said about a half hour later he saw smoke from the area where the fire is believed to have started between Cameron Peak and Chambers Lake.
He had not seen smoke before that time.
There were no reports of lighting in the area at the time the Cameron Peak Fire started.
In 2020, two-thirds of Colorado's more than 700,000 acres burned by wildfires were human-caused or believed to be human-caused, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.
Call of duty: Why local wildland firefighters do that they do
Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: East Troublesome Fire cause was humans, officials say
