Poudre Fire Authority sends help to Cold Springs Fire

A 5,100-acre wildfire raging through two national forests in south-central Colorado has forced the evacuation of two campgrounds, while residents of nearby communities were placed on standby to leave their homes if winds blow flames in their direction, the U.S. Forest Service said on its website.

The two were arrested Sunday, each facing a charge of fourth-degree arson, a felony. The two men, along with a female friend, were camping on private property and had established a campfire overnight Thursday into Friday morning, according to the statement. “It is believed that the winds in the area, combined with the weather, allowed the fire to continue smoldering”.

Three homes and three buildings have been destroyed by a wildfire still burning north of Nederland.

Fire investigators and sheriff’s detectives were able to find the origin of the fire at a campsite near the Peak-to-Peak Highway and Cold Springs Road.

The suspects, identified as 28-year-old Jimmy Suggs and 26-year-old Zackary Kuykendall, hail from Vinemont, Alabama.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said evacuations won’t be lifted because of the weather forecast, with hot weather and high winds making it too unsafe. Somebody called 911 at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Officials say that fire isn’t expected to be contained until late October.

As of Sunday evening, officials said the fire had spread across 536 acres and prompted close to 2,000 evacuations.

One of the campers accused of starting the Cold Springs Fire told investigators “It had to been us” because they were the only ones in the area where the blaze likely began, according to an arrest affidavit.

Firefighters warn it’s too risky for them to go in to get their things, but Boulder County Sheriff deputies have been escorting residents back in to their homes to get necessities.

Over the weekend, heat and gusts up to 30 miles per hour in Nederland made for risky fire behavior.

Homes in the surrounding areas experienced power outage.

Two federal firefighters were killed in a crash returning from a wildfire patrol in remote northern Nevada, while crews battled blazes across the Western U.S. This was in addition to 1,253 people evacuated Saturday.