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Firefighters gaining upper hand in Colorado
LAKE GEORGE, Colorado (CNN) -- Firefighters said Sunday they were "on the downside" of a massive Colorado wildfire that threatened Denver suburbs in its early days and has cost more than $21 million to battle. With the help of three consecutive days of favorable weather, teams had two-thirds of the 137,000-acre Hayman fire contained Sunday, officials said, adding that another day of good conditions could make the difference. "Things are looking really good," said fire information officer Chris Walker. "[Sunday] is a bit of a test day. Relative humidities are dropping, and hopefully that'll bring up any spots we've missed so we can nail those down.
"There's not a lot of flame out there," he said. "There are some hot spots, which can be anywhere from a tenth of an acre to 10 acres, and they're out there isolating those spots and taking care of them now." The Hayman fire began June 8 and quickly spread north toward Denver's southern suburbs. But the wind turned, and more than 2,500 firefighters kept the flames contained largely to the Pike National Forest. Terry Barton, a U.S. Forest Service employee, is charged with deliberately setting the worst wildfire in Colorado history. (Full story) The fire has burned 114 homes, officials said. Some evacuated residents have been allowed to return with a warning to be ready to move out again if conditions warrant; more than 2,000 people remain evacuated. The fight with the Hayman fire has cost an estimated $21.7 million, officials said. Elsewhere in Colorado, the 63,466-acre Missionary Ridge fire near Durango was 30 percent contained, and some evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes. The 8,150-acre Million fire in Rio Grande National Forest was 50 percent contained. The 12,209-acre Coal Seam fire, which at one point forced the closure of Interstate 70 about 160 miles west of Denver, was 90 percent contained. -- CNN Correspondent Mark Potter contributed to this report. |
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