Colorado Wildfire Burned Fewer Buildings Than Feared

A northern Colorado wildfire burned fewer structures and is slightly smaller than initially thought, authorities said.

The fire west of Fort Collins destroyed 13 structures and burned about 4.6 square miles, fire managers said.

Earlier, 15 structures were listed as destroyed and the fire’s size was put at 5 square miles.

The fire was still burning on April 9 but was 75 percent contained. The cause was under investigation.

Crews were lighting controlled burns on the northwest border of the wildfire to eliminate dry vegetation that could flare out of control.

Authorities at one point told residents of 20 homes to evacuate. All have been allowed to return.

Another wildfire in Jefferson County near Evergreen that prompted evacuations in one subdivision was also 75 percent contained.

Officials initially estimated the fire was 40 acres but slashed that to 10 acres after GPS mapping.

Evacuations ordered on April 8 were lifted later in the day. Authorities didn’t know exactly how many homes were evacuated.

One other fire in Jefferson County was extinguished and a third was fully contained

The causes of the three Jefferson County fires haven’t been released.