DRAKE, Colo. - Firefighters blessed by cooler weather made headway Friday against two wildfires smoldering in the mountains west of Denver, and residents began returning home.
After three days of hot, windy weather in the high 80s, temperatures fell at least 30 degrees, and clouds blanketed the foothills, boosting humidity.
Nearly 1,500 firefighters worked to stamp out the flames, and air tankers and helicopters dropped fire retardant and water.
Snow fell as firefighters poured water on hot spots left in a fire east of Rocky Mountain National Park, where nearly 8,100 acres and 15 homes had burned. That fire was 50 percent contained and was expected to be fully contained by early next week.
''We're just mopping up,'' said volunteer firefighter Jerry Fullerton of Boulder County.
Authorities said Friday they wanted to question Kenny Winchester, 33, of Loveland as part of their investigation into the cause of the fire near the national park. They said they have been unable to talk with him because he has retained an attorney.
Fire officials said homeowners, most of whom are privately insured, would most likely not receive any federal help in covering losses.
Cooler weather was expected through Sunday, giving crews hope they could contain the fires that have raged since Monday.
''The fire is really laying down, the humidity is up and there is less wind,'' said firefighter Adam Stepanich.
At least 39 homes and an estimated 10,950 acres of wooded foothills have burned 35 miles southwest of Denver, with columns of smoke drifting from hot spots dotting the edge of the fire.
Authorities said that blaze was about 50 percent contained Friday and predicted 100 percent containment by June 21, four days sooner than their previous projections.
The buzz of chain saws could be heard as hot shot crews southwest of Denver dug lines around the fire to keep flames from spreading.
The brisk weather was a dramatic change for 18-year-old firefighter Justin Reesy of the Worland Fire District in Wyoming, a day after flames burned part of his crew's hose and forced them to take refuge in a donkey pasture as the fire rushed toward them.
''We were surrounded by flames,'' Reesy said. ''It's a lot quieter today because it's so cold and the humidity's up.''
Southwest of Denver, Cynthia Corbett, of Conifer, returned to her house and rejoined her husband after authorities said some could go back home.
Kevin Corbett, 44, had stayed in the couple's house in Conifer to watch for looters, while Cynthia Corbett, 48, and her 8-year-old son, Sean, evacuated with their neighbors.
''It's great to have everybody home,'' Kevin Corbett said Friday. ''These last few days have been a little like house arrest. It's great to get the neighborhood back to normal.''
Near the national park, all evacuees were allowed to return home. Roads were not expected to be fully open to the public until next month.
The blazes are the latest in what is shaping up as the nation's worst fire season since 1996. The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho reported that more than 45,000 fires this season have burned 1.2 million acres.
In the parched southwestern corner of Colorado Friday, firefighters contained a three- or four-acre wildfire in north Durango that investigators suspect was caused by fireworks. No structures were threatened and no one was evacuated, said LaPlata County spokeswoman Joanne Spina.
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office map: http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/fire/himeadow4.jpg
Rocky Mountain Area Coordinating Group: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/rmcghome.htm
