Fire crews have mopped up the last of the Saddle Fire near Green Mountain Reservoir. They leave without knowing what started it. The official cause is unknown.
The U.S. Forest Service tells Krystal 93 there was recent lightning in the area. This could have smoldered for days before growing and spewing smoke on Tuesday, when the fire was reported.
Inspectors also confirm powerlines nearby, but no evidence these sparked the fire.
A rogue campfire is also unlikely.
“Not an area very accessible to the public right now,” the USFS says.
Colorado is notorious for small wildfires with no determined cause. The state is even more notorious for human-caused fires where no one is held responsible.
A 2021 report by Colorado Public Radio found that Colorado is worst in the West at finding and prosecuting people who start large, human-caused fires.
“(This) revealed a culture in which determining origin and cause takes a backseat in the critical early days of a wildfire’s spread and beyond,” CPR concluded, “and where fundamental investigative steps like interviewing witnesses can fall through the cracks.”