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Downed Power Lines Eyed In Boulder Wildfires

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Jan 9, 2009 7:57 am US/Mountain

Downed Power Lines Eyed In Boulder Wildfires

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ― Investigators spent Thursday gathering more evidence about the cause of the wildfires north of Boulder that started Wednesday afternoon and forced the evacuation of thousands of homes as wind-whipped flames raced across grasslands and up the foothills. Downed power lines appear to be the cause of the first fire and are suspected in the second.

Crews had fully contained the 3,700-acre fire zone about 25 miles northwest of Denver by late Thursday, but about 20 firefighters monitored the site overnight to suppress flare-ups. The fire blackened mostly grassland north and west of the city of Boulder, an area of scattered subdivisions, farms and ranches along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

At least 1,300 homes were evacuated Wednesday, and two were destroyed, said Sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West. The evacuation order for all homes was also lifted Thursday evening.

The first fire along Neva Road is believed to have started at about 1 p.m. Wednesday when winds gusted to about 80 mph and broke a power pole belonging to the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association.

"The power pole was abutting the side of the building and it appeared, pretty clearly, that was the point of origin for that fire," said Cmdr. Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff's office.

About 40 minutes later, the second fire started. Downed power lines are again suspected, but the evidence is not as clear.

Xcel Energy said it had reports of sparks from one of its lines near Olde Stage Road. Someone then called in a fire on a home's deck.

Winds can snap power poles or cause other damage to the lines. Experts said a breaker is suppose to cut power to the line when they hit the ground, but that clearly didn't happen quickly enough in this case.

The fires started miles apart, but grew to within a couple hundred yards from each other.

Both power companies have declined comment on the exact cause except to say they'll wait for the results of the investigation.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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