Help unlock $30,000
with your gift today!
This post was updated at 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said it found evidence that suggests someone deliberately ignited the fast-moving Oak fire.
Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the office, declined to give details on how the fire started or who might be responsible but said authorities were investigating the fire as a possible arson.
Our original story follows below.
Crews worked Monday to contain a fast-moving grass fire that ignited near Chatfield State Park in Littleton. Fire officials say strong, unpredictable winds fueled its rapid growth to about 150 acres.
A small air tanker was used to help fight the blaze, dubbed the Oak fire, which stopped just a few feet from the Westerly Apartments in Littleton.
"We were playing a board game and then we got a knock on our door," said resident Abby Nieskes. "It was a police officer saying there was a big fire and to evacuate — pack up a bag of stuff and leave."
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued mandatory evacuation orders for the apartment complex and residents in nearby Ken Caryl Valley but canceled them around sunset after winds died down and crews got better control of the fire.
It's unclear what caused the fire. No injuries or major damage have been reported.
Late-December wildfires aren’t unprecedented in Colorado, but scientists and fire ecologists say climate change, fueled largely by human-made carbon emissions, is leading to warmer temperatures, more intense droughts and longer fire seasons that extend into winter months.
Wildfire on Hogback near C470. C470 is closed from Ken Caryl to Kipling. Westerly Apartments currently being evacuated. Evacuation center is Chatfield HS. Media staging is currently established for area adjacent to Westerly Apts, to the south & east of apt. pic.twitter.com/fbLkNvKZKR
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) December 27, 2021
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes. Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you.
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now.