Fire crews battle Colorado blaze

Colorado firefighters dug trenches and searched through burned-out areas for hot spots along the southern edge of a 40,800 hectare (102,000-acre) forest fire southwest of Denver.

Cool, calm weather and scattered showers helped the fire crews early today, but wind picked up in the afternoon, grounding aircraft that were dropping retardant on the fire.

Bulldozers headed down a road into the fire area north of Lake George as some 30 residents were allowed in briefly to check on their homes.

Quentin Good, 29, said he jumped up and down after seeing his log cabin and neighbouring gem mine still intact.

‘‘It is still there, though many of the properties near us have had much fire damage. The firefighters are really doing a good job,’’ said Good, who mines smoky quartz and crystals at the Dreamtime Mine.

Some 5,300 people remain out of their homes because of the fire, which has blackened nearly 160 square miles since it started on June 8 in the Pike National Forest, apparently originating with an illegal campfire.

It had burned to within 40 miles of the Denver city limits.

About 1,800 firefighters helped by slurry bombers and helicopters were working on the fire yesterday. But high wind prevented crews from conducting controlled burns on the east or west sides of the fire as they had hoped.

The fire was 30% contained by firebreaks yesterday. Its northern edge, which had earlier threatened the outlying edges of Denver’s southwest suburbs, remained less active, but officials were worried that strong wind could make the fire grow.

It was one of at least seven wildfires active in Colorado.

In Pecos, New Mexico, firefighters rushed to build lines Saturday, a day after lightning and thunderstorms sparked a wind-whipped wildfire that spread to 600 hectares (1,500 acres), fire information officer Jim Whittington said. The fire was 40% contained yesterday and officials expected full containment by tomorrow.