Fire evacuees allowed back near Colorado town

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – Hundreds of residents were allowed to return to their homes in the foothills just outside this university city on Monday as firefighters make progress against a wildfire possibly sparked by transient campers in the area.

The fire spread to about 70 acres, but firefighters fully contained it Monday afternoon by building lines to stop it from spreading. Winds were forecast to be a bit lighter than when the fire broke out on Sunday, helping crews mop up hot spots and control flare-ups overnight.

Boulder County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Mike Wagner said the blaze may be humancaused and that hikers and transient campers frequent the area where it erupted – a wooded, mountainous place a couple of miles from Pearl Street, the shopping and dining hub in the heart of the home of University of Colorado. Officials ruled out any lightning strikes or downed power lines, and Wagner said investigators were working to pinpoint exactly where it started.

Last year another wildfire in the county was accidentally started by two men camping in the mountains who didn’t fully put out their campfire. It destroyed eight homes near the small town of Nederland.

Resident Anne Shusterman said the vast majority of people camping around the area are those who chose to live without a home, not people who have fallen on hard times and have no other choice. She said she no longer feels safe running along trails because of them and worries about the fire danger posed by them in tinderdry conditions.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take for this city to wake up,” said Shusterman, who lives near the fire and woke up to find heavy smoke around her home Sunday.

The latest fire started in the Sunshine Canyon area, which is dotted with expensive homes and rustic mountain residences. Dead trees exploded and sent black smoke skyward.