Lightning strike results in fire near Horsetooth
Fire crews responded to a wildfire late Tuesday afternoon to
squelch flames that resulted from a lightning strike hitting trees
in Lory State Park near Horsetooth Reservoir.
The lightning strike hit when a storm moved through Larimer
County around 5 p.m., producing light rain and wind gusts up to 30
mph. A plume of smoke could be recognized afar from the fire that
had spread to less than an acre, at press time.
Eloise Campenella, spokesperson for the Larimar County Sheriff’s
Office, said the blaze was small and was being put out by various
services, including the Poudre Valley Fire Authority and the United
States Fire Service.
“The fire is not controlled yet and the wind could be a factor,”
Campenella said.
Campenella said dry lightning, or lightning without
precipitation, is definitely to blame. Despite the wind and
lightning in the fire’s area, Campenella said ground crews were
acting promptly and reacted fast to call upon other fire officials
to extinguish the fire.
“I am optimistic this is going to be a small fire,” Campenella
said, but said she could not confirm when the fire would be
contained, if at all, at press time.
Dispatchers said they responded to over 100 calls from residents
near the blaze to report smoke and flames in the area.
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