COTOPAXI, Colo. - Investigators were pursuing reports yesterday that a barbecue grill left unattended by a group of off-road driving enthusiasts was responsible for a fire that has consumed 100 homes and more than 100 other structures.
Witnesses told authorities that several people were driving four-wheel-drive vehicles Sunday on private land near subdivisions in the hilly area around Canon City, about 130 miles southwest of Denver. The group stopped for a cookout, and investigators believe that their grill was left behind or that high winds blew it over and sprayed white-hot charcoal briquettes into the surrounding forest.
One county official said it appeared that the individuals were not from the area.
"I just can't believe that somebody would be that irresponsible to run that barbecue grill," Fremont County Commissioner Jim Schauer said. "But I can see that happening. You drive down the street, and people throw cigarettes out their car windows. They've done it for years. Even with this drought, we find people with open fires in campgrounds."
He said the overturned grill was found by investigators.
The fast-moving fire scorched 4,400 acres of private and public land on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. More than 1,400 residents were evacuated. Yesterday's weather provided a break for firefighters, who took advantage of rain and cooler temperatures to build containment lines. Fire officials on Monday had estimated that the fire was 30 percent contained but revised that to 10 percent yesterday.
With the fire temporarily at bay, much of the effort shifted to determining the cause and finding those responsible.
Terry Baxter, a law enforcement officer with the Forest Service, was one of four investigators who examined the scene yesterday. He said much of the evidence at the fire's point of origin was destroyed because of the movements of residents and volunteer firefighters.
On Monday night, evacuees taking shelter at a school in Cotopaxi questioned authorities at a spirited town hall meeting.
"All you had to do was look at those people," Schauer said. "They weren't angry. But if the guy who started it was there, he would have probably been lynched."