World News
Electrocuted bird sparked wildfire in Arapahoe County in July
According to a report released Friday by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, the flaming carcass of an electrocuted bird was determined to be the cause of a wildfire in Arapahoe County in July that burned more than 1,100 acres and destroyed property southeast of Byers were destroyed.
The Quail Hollow Fire report, issued by the Byers Fire Protection District and the Strasburg Fire Protection District, says that on the morning of July 13, a small bird came into contact with a live electrical pole on the south side of 2490 S. Quail Hollow Drive. .
The bird’s flaming body then fell into vegetation at the base of the utility pole that provided initial fuel for the fire, the report said.
Dry vegetation, heavy fuel loads in the area, wind and local topography caused the fire to spread, the report said.
The fire was ruled an accident.
One residential home and at least 12 outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, the report said.
Byers and Strasburg Fire Departments responded to the fire around 10:09 a.m. and reported a “slow moving medium fuel fire moving south.”
Minutes later, the fire was upgraded to “large brush” as the flames reached heavy timber, the report said. The I-70 corridor major wildfire response was activated and mutual aid was requested as the fire grew and moved.
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