Investigators are seeking information on what caused a 700-plus acre wildfire that ripped through part of Rocky Mountain National Park and has burned since most of last week.
The fire, which started on Oct. 9 west of the Fern Lake trailhead, was at least five percent contained to about 673 acres by firefighters over the weekend, information from both the Denver Post and the National Park Service-the federal service authorized by the U.S. Department of the Interior which tends to all national parks- reported Sunday evening.
Several campers and recreationalists were evacuating from the area about eight miles west of Estes Park in Colorado just after the fire began near the Cub Lake Trail and Fern Lake before 2 p.m. on Oct.9, according to the post.
One day after the fire initially started, at least seven fire engines and 65 personnel were deployed to contain the fire, reported the Examiner on Oct. 11.
That number nearly doubled to more than 120 personnel by Thursday, and by Sunday, the official tally released by parks service officials confirmed that number had reached 144 personnel, nine fire engines and one light helicopter.
Harsh weather conditions , mainly turbulent winds, and the steep terrain of the forest was hampering firefighters in their efforts to contain the blaze, the Estes Park Trail Gazette reported Oct. 11.
In addition, the weather forced fire officials to turn back a heavy heli-tanker that was supposed to aid in suppressing the fire efforts Wednesday.
Trees killed as a result of beetle infestations may have helped to fuel the fire. Those trees also prevented firefighters from combating the blaze on the ground.
"Because of turbulent air today, it was hard for fire officials to use general aircraft to make an accurate estimate of the size of the fire," a park spokeperson told the Gazette Oct. 11.
At this time, the parks service is seeking information for campers and parkgoers who visited the park around the morning of Oct. 9, when the fire began.
" If you were in the vicinity of the Cub Lake Trail and/or the Fern Lake Trail any time before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 9, you may have pertinent information," a press statement from the parks service released Sunday read. "If you saw anything unusual or noteworthy, investigators would like to talk with you. You can contact the National Park Service to share your information at 970-586-1399."
For more information about the fire, visit the National Parks Service web site, at www.nps.gov.
Video footage of the fire over Lake Estes can be seen here.
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