Prosecutors announced on Friday that arson charges have been filed against a child in connection with the massive Beaver Creek fire near Walden.
The Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office says the accusations were filed on Oct. 4. The child’s name, age and gender were not released and authorities declined to release further information in the case.
The fire, which was reportedly still smoldering earlier this week, burned more than 38,000 acres, destroying one home and 16 other structures. It spread into Wyoming and prompted hundreds of firefighters to be summoned to fight the burn.
The fire was ignited on June 19 and consumed land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Forestry Division and Colorado.
“The investigating authorities are continuing to conduct follow-up interviews and finalize reports,” the district attorney’s office said in a news release. “… Due to the suspect’s age, the District Attorney’s Office will not be issuing any further information pertaining to this case.”
The Beaver Creek fire stood apart from other wildfires and was so difficult to harness because of its 38,000-plus acres of mostly beetle-kill timber, a volatile fuel that forces firefighters to rethink the way they can safely approach such large burns. The U.S. Forest Service hopes the fire provides a blueprint for how to fight blazes in the millions of acres of forest in Colorado and across the West that have been ravaged by insects.
Jeremiah Zamora, right, District Ranger with the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, checks out hundreds of feet of hose line set up to fight fire as well as a large fire line made by a masticator inside the perimeter of the Beaver Creek Fire on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A small wisp of smoke arises from the trees in the Beaver Creek Fire which continues to burn on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Colorado Senator Cory Gardner is briefed on the status of the Beaver Creek Fire by the incident management team inside the perimeter of the Beaver Creek Fire on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Jeremiah Zamora, left, District Ranger with the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, and Aaron Voos, right, public affairs officer with the US Forest Service, look at downed and burned trees inside the perimeter of the Beaver Creek Fire on Aug. 23, 2016 in Walden.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A deer nibbles on grass amidst a burned area of the Beaver Creek Fire which continues to burn on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Jeremiah Zamora, right, District Ranger with the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, looks at water tanks and hose line set up to fight fire if it comes near a cabin close by inside the perimeter of the Beaver Creek Fire on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Beetle killed trees lie on the burned ground of the Beaver Creek Fire which continues to burn on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A house, surrounded by burned trees, was saved by firefighters inside the perimeter of the Beaver Creek Fire, which continued to burn in Walden on August 23, 2016. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Firefighter Matt Norden, left, and Jeremiah Zamora, right, District Ranger with the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, talk about their continued efforts fighting the Beaver Creek Fire, seen behind them, on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19th, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
