Illegal campfire ignited Colorado blaze
Several arrested as states across West grapple with heat, severe drought
DENVER — An illegal campfire likely ignited another destructive blaze in Colorado, an outcome authorities were trying to avoid across the hot, dry West by enforcing strict fire rules and closing some public lands.
Several people have been arrested in two Colorado wildfires that burned homes after ignoring local and federal restrictions on campfires, target shooting and other activities aimed at combating and avoiding explosive blazes across the U.S. region.
Parts of Colorado and other Western states have been grappling with heat and severe drought. In Arizona, large swaths of national forests and state trust land have been closed since before Memorial Day, while some national forests in New Mexico are opening up after rain helped ease fire danger that kept popular trails and camping spots off limits for weeks.
A national forest in Colorado fully closed last month for the first time in 16 years to prevent new wildfires started by people. And Rocky Mountain National Park imposed a ban on all campfires starting Friday because of the risk of having a new fire start with firefighters already busy.
In California, fires on both ends of the state eased Monday.
Crews gained some ground against flames on the California-oregon border that killed a person and injured three firefighters. The blaze, which threatened more than 800 structures, was partially contained, but fire officials were concerned about erratic winds later Monday.
The fire has destroyed 81 structures, but officials have not determined how many are homes.
In Southern California, several destructive blazes that broke out late last week during an intense heat wave have quieted down.
Firefighters in the San Diego County community of Alpine mopped up remnants of a fire that destroyed 34 houses and damaged 15 others. A commercial building also was lost.
Santa Barbara County allowed residents to return to a neighborhood in the coastal city of Goleta where 2,500 people fled wind-driven flames that destroyed 13 homes and damaged three others.
Meanwhile, wet weekend weather helped crews fighting a Utah wildfire that torched dozens of buildings and forced more than 1,000 people from their homes.
The fire in a mountain area near a popular fishing reservoir grew to about 78 square miles but containment also increased, authorities said Monday.
Scattered showers and relatively cooler temperatures were expected at least through Tuesday, and some evacuees have been allowed to return home.