The Black Forest fire has easily become Colorado's most destructive fir in its history. The fire which started Tuesday has engulfed the majority of the area already, burning down over 25 square miles of land and residences near at the area near Colorado Springs. It has also forced more than 38,000 people to evacuate their homes, while a total of 419 homes have been totally destroyed as it took away two lives.
However, in a sudden turn of events, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa says the fire could likely be started by someone.
Maketa told reporters on Friday that as they look deeper into the cause of the devastating fire, more proofs show it isn't that nature doesn't have a hand on it.
"I'm pretty confident that natural causes will be out the window," Sheriff Maketa said, as reported by the Denver Post. "We didn't have lightning in the area. Lightning is usually one of the contributing factors we first look at in the area when it comes to natural causes."
Maketa also noted that rocks were not seen near the area where the fire started, dismissing the idea of rockslide that may have started a spark.
Now, investigators are considering whether the fire that continues to burn much of the area was caused by arson or an accident.
Thankfully though, the fire is now 30% contained from the initial reports of 5%. The El Paso County Sheriff noted that Friday's weather, including rain, helped firefighters contain the fire.
"I think the rain made a tremendous impact," he noted.
"Thank God it rained," U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet told the Post.
Due to the improvements, mandatory evacuation in the northern parts of Colorado Springs have already been lifted.
Notably though, evacuation centers around the area are still open to provide shelter to those affected by the fire.
(Map by Denver Post)