Updated 4:58am 6/15

Firefighters battling the Black Forest fire finally caught a break from the weather Friday, as cooler temperatures and rain helped them begin to turn back the state’s most destructive wildfire.

“Cloud cover and the rain made a tremendous impact. Some things finally turned in our favor,” said El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa. “We got our tails kicked for a couple of days … and today I think we delivered some blows.”

The number of homes destroyed by the fire climbed to 473, but that seemed to reflect a more extensive survey and not additional fire activity. Fire crews said the blaze has charred 15,700 acres but is now 30 percent contained.

Thousands of people remained out of their homes, but the calmer conditions allowed Colorado Springs to lift mandatory evacuation orders.

For the first time since the fire roared through the ponderosa pines Tuesday, some Black Forest residents were able to make a quick visit to their homes Friday to retrieve medicine and belongings.

Two people have died in the fire. Authorities have not yet identified them.

As firefighters rotated shifts and worked to contain the flames, officials combed for clues that might indicate what caused the fire. At this point, investigators believe it likely was human-caused.

“I’m pretty confident that natural causes are out the window,” said Maketa, who noted that because of erratic winds, arson investigators were unable to get into the burn area until Thursday.

Maketa said early Friday that there had been no lightning in the area at the time the fire started, but he said later in the day there was an unconfirmed report of lightning on Tuesday afternoon.

“Until an investigation is complete, I’m not going to speculate,” he said.

Investigators sought to pinpoint the origin of the fire by using addresses of houses that were among the first to call 911.

Initial reports indicated the fire began on Shoup Road and Colorado 83 in Black Forest.

“We’re going to narrow it down pretty good,” Maketa said. “As far as the exact inch of where it started, I’m not sure that’s real relevant. We know an area and from there you start looking at what’s around there, the burn patterns and whatever is left behind.”

The initial investigation, Maketa said, indicates the fire did not start in any type of structure.

“The evidence is going to tell the story and that’s what the investigator is trained to do,” Maketa said.

Mike Heath, a senior instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center who has overseen investigations of wildfire causes, said the key to winnowing down a point of origin with a wildfire of this size is to first

conduct thorough interviews.

 

“What people saw and where they saw it can help narrow the scope of the investigation down to about 5 to 10 acres,” Heath said. “From there, it’s a science.”

Heath said investigators will then trace for fire indicators.

“Machinery, cigarette butts, anything that could be an igniter is likely what this large team of investigators are looking into,” Heath said. “But all of that comes from first speaking to witnesses.”

Maketa said the arson investigators, who are from the El Paso County Sheriff’s department, look into 60 to 70 fires each year.

Less than 20 miles southwest of the Black Forest fire — and almost a year to the date — the Waldo Canyon fire erupted in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood of Colorado Springs. Nearly two weeks after the fire began, coordinates posted on a federal fire-management website and dispatch recordings pinpointed the origin off a hiking trail.

Investigators still have not determined the cause of the Waldo Canyon fire, which until this week was the state’s most destructive wildfire — destroying 346 houses.

Prior to Waldo Canyon in June 2012, a barrage of small wildfires in Teller County were set by an arsonist who has not been arrested.

“To this day, we’re still investigating those arson blazes,” said Teller County Sheriff Mike Ensminger.

Ensminger said that as of Friday, his office has not been in contact with El Paso County law enforcement about any possible connections between the investigations.

“At this point, there hasn’t been that conversation,” Ensminger said.

Heath said it’s likely to be an exhaustive investigation into the Black Forest fire.

“No timetable can be set,” Heath said. “These fires could be solved weeks from now, months and possibly years. There’s just no time frame.”

Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee

 

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Other fires

Big Meadows: The blaze on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park has burned about 353 acres and was considered 30 percent contained Friday. The fire is about 5 miles north of Grand Lake.Northern Water officials are concerned that runoff following summer rains will foul Grand Lake with soot and debris and are developing a mitigation plan. Northern Water partially supplies water to 860,000 people in 33 northern Colorado towns and cities. The utility brings water to the Front Range from the Western Slope, and Grand Lake is the main reservoir.

“It’s obviously a concern,” Northern Water spokesman Brian Werner said. “We’ve been talking for a couple of years now about our watershed — what happens if and when it goes up in smoke. We’re going to have some impact when the rains come.”

The utility also is talking about preventative measures such as anchoring debris booms in the lake to catch some of the sludge if the debris hits hard.

Werner said the fire isn’t as bad as it could be. Most likely, any debris washed into the lake will dissipate, settle on the bottom and won’t harm the water supply.

Ward Gulch: A fast-moving 300-acre fire, three miles north of Rifle Gap Reservoir was believed to have started by a lightning strike Thursday night, officials said. Fire officials said Friday night the fire was threatening several structures near the fish hatchery and Rifle Mountain Park. A Type III incident management team will take over the fire Friday night or early Saturday.

The blaze is burning rapidly through grass, sage and juniper, fire information officers said. Colorado 325 seven miles north of the city of Rifle and leading into Rifle Gap is closed.

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BLACK FOREST — Investigators looking into the origin and cause of the devastating Black Forest fire believe it’s likely that someone started the blaze, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Friday.

 

“I’m pretty confident that natural causes will be out the window,” he said. With two deaths already blamed on the fire, investigators will focus on whether the cause was arson or an accident.

 

“We didn’t have lightning in the area. Lightning is usually one of the contributing factors we first look at in the area when it come to natural causes,” Maketa said.

 

He also said there were no rocks near the area of origin that could have been involved in a slide that would have created a spark.

 

Firefighters continued to battle the fire north of Colorado Springs that has consumed 15,700 acres and 389 homes since it started Tuesday.

 

Some 38,000 people are impacted in the mandatory evacuation zone that covers 24 square miles, stretching from Elbert County to the northern part of Colorado Springs. Highway 83 is closed from Powers Boulevard to Highway 105.

 

Two people are confirmed to have died in the fire. Their names have not been released.

 

“What I witnessed was very encouraging compared to the previous night,” Maketa told a Friday morning news briefing. “Yesterday we made some tremendous ground … especially when it came to structure protections.”

 

Maketa said infrared mapping showed the fire footprint remained in the area of 13,000-15,00 acres overnight.

 

No cause of the fire has been identified. The sheriff’s office has set up a tip line for anyone who might have information: 719-444-8393 or Blackforestfiretipline@elpasoco.com

 

Maketa also mentioned that his office did not have reports of looting or burglaries Thursday night.

 

He praised

 

the efforts of volunteers with trailers who have been gathering up loose animals.

 

 

Fighting the fire has been hampered by high temperatures and gusty winds in the area, but the weekend forecast calls for cooler, cloudy weather, with winds are leveling off.

 

On a lighter note, Maketa encouraged people to wash their cars and park them outside, and that doing so will guarantee rain in the area. The proposal garnered chuckles.

 

Rich Harvey, the commander of the federal incident-management team that took over firefighting duties early Thursday, estimated containment remained at 5 percent.

 

He said Friday morning that he is optimistic after efforts Thursday night and agreed that firefighters had a good night. “Everywhere we have grass, we are winning,” he told a morning news briefing.

 

He said that aviation assets are strong and the heavy air tankers are expected to be flying again Friday.

 

Although turning “the corner is a good ways away, we are certainly moving toward turning the corner,” Harvey said.

 

Most of the fuel for the fire is ponderosa pine and gamble oak brush dispersed on hilly terrain and in ditches.

 

“Fuels out there are extremely dry — in fact as dry as they’ve ever been,” Harvey said. “That’s what we’re finding.”

 

The evacuation area that spans from the northern part of Colorado Springs up into Elbert County remains in place. The Colorado Springs fire chief, Tommy Smith, told a morning news conference that as a precaution, the city’s order that includes the Flying Horse neighborhood is not expected to be lifted Friday.

 

On the north side of the fire, Douglas County stationed a team at Franktown with four brush trucks, an engine, a water tanker and a helicopter. Pre-evacuation notices were issued for the southeast corner of the county.

 

The Red Cross has sent up evacuation centers at Palmer Ridge High School and and the recreation center at the Colorado Springs campus of the University of Colorado.

 

A citizens’ service center has been set up at 1645 Garden of the Gods Road to help coordinate aid efforts including child care, pet care, housing, insurance and other benefits. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The center can be reached at 719 444-8301.

 

The sheriff’s office has said it will continue to evaluate the homes in the burn area and post information online as quickly as possible. Ten destroyed homes were added to the list about noon Friday. The sheriff warned that the numbers could still change. Maketa said Friday morning that about 2,200 homes have been surveyed.

 

The number of homes destroyed makes the fire the most destructive in Colorado history.The Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 destroyed 347 homes.

 

Maketa said at a news conference late Thursday afternoon that firefighters found the bodies of two people in the rubble of the Black Forest fire. The bodies were discovered in what was the garage of a home that the blaze leveled. They were next to a car with its doors open. The car’s trunk was packed full of belongings.

 

Although Maketa did not say who authorities believe the victims are, he said investigators have spoken to someone who talked to the victims by phone at 5 p.m. Tuesday, just hours after the fire started. In the background of the phone call, the person could hear popping and crackling sounds.