JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Fire investigators have found some “weird items” at what they have confirmed to be the source of the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County, informed sources told Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski on Thursday.
Those items are now the focus of the fire investigation.
Friday morning, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office confirmed there is now an active arson investigation underway.
Wildfire
Quarry Fire west of Ken Caryl 'a quarter-mile away' from closest structures
The Quarry Fire was first reported Tuesday night and remains at 0% containment as of Thursday afternoon. So far, it has burned 450 acres, up from 341 acres. The new acreage was open space land, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said at 5:30 p.m. While the sheriff's office said containment remains at 0%, the fire was less active Thursday and crews made progress.
Nearly 600 homes in the area have been evacuated and more than 150 firefighters are actively battling the fire.
A map of the evacuation orders can be viewed here and a map of the area under alert can be viewed here. Residents were also encouraged to sign up for the Lookout Alert emergency notification system to keep up with the latest alerts from Jefferson County regarding the fire.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.
While county officials are thankful to people who have offered donations, they said Thursday that the best way people could help was through monetary donations on the Quarry Fire page of the Jefferson County website.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
