From left, Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, of Vinemont, Ala.; and Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, of Vinemont, Ala. The men have been arrested in connection with starting the Cold Springs fire.
A poorly extinguished campfire, smoldering as hot, dry winds whipped down from mountain peaks, sparked the fire that on Sunday destroyed three homes and spread across more than 600 acres, forcing evacuations of nearly 2,000 people southwest of Boulder.
And Boulder sheriff’s detectives Sunday afternoon arrested two men from Alabama at the Nederland High School evacuation site.
Campers Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, and Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, both of Vinemont, Ala., face felony arson charges because, according to a statement issued by sheriff’s commander Mike Wagner, “lives were endangered as a result of the fire.” The men were booked into the Boulder County Jail.
The Cold Springs fire still is burning, threatening more homes. A huge plume was visible Sunday from Denver. More than 200 firefighters, aided by a dozen aircraft, fought the flames and worked to establish a perimeter despite intense heat and wind, according to bulletins from the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.
Boulder county fire investigators and detectives said they found where the fire started — at an “ad hoc” campsite near the Peak to Peak Highway and Cold Springs Road. The two men, along with 20-year-old companion Elizabeth Burdeshaw, were camping there Thursday night on private property and had built a campfire, Wagner said.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A Chinook helicopter heads back to Barker Dam to get more water as a few trees burn on a ridge near the town Nederland during the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Evacuee Andy Watt is grateful that he got his cat Sophie out of his house before having to evacuate from Ridge Road because of the Cold Springs Fire on July 10, 2016 in Nederland, Colorado. The Cold Springs fire has more than doubled in size since it began yesterday. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A slurry bomber follows a lead plane to make a drop on hot spots of the Cold Springs fire as it burns northeast of Nederland on July 10, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A slurry bomber make a drop along a ridge near highway 119 in Nederland fighting the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Folks gather along highway 119 just above to the town of Nederland to get a view of the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016.
Photo by Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Jennifer Sharp, left, and her husband Kevin Sharp, right, get consoled by their good friend Thomas Parker, center, after all watched the Cold Springs Fire rage out of control in an area that the Sharp's home is located July 10, 2016.
Photo by Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Nederland residents look over a fire incident map in the gymnasium of the Nederland Middle/High School during a community meeting to get information on the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Nederland resident Adam Jones takes pictures of an incoming helicopter as an Army Chinook helicopter dips into Barker Dam picking up water to fight the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
A helicopter drops water on the Cold Springs fire northeast of Nederland on July 10.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)\
NEDERLAND, CO - JULY 10: A helicopter makes water drops on the Cold Springs Fire as it continues to burn northeast of Nederland on July 10, 2016 in Nederland, Colorado. The Cold Springs fire has more than doubled in size since it began yesterday. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Wildland Firefighters check on a house and it's distance away from the Cold Springs Fire as it continues to burn northeast of Nederland on July 10, 2016 in Nederland, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
The Cold Springs Fire explodes along a ridge line as it continues to burn northeast of Nederland on July 10, 2016 in Nederland, Colorado. The Cold Springs fire has more than doubled in size since it began yesterday. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Bryon Lawrence looks through a window from the Nederland High School gym to check on the Cold Springs Fire July 09, 2016. Lawrence had to evacuate his house and didn't know the status of his home at the time.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A helicopter approaches Barker Dam to pick up water to fight the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016.
Andy Cross,The Denver Post
Trees crown on a ridge near the town of Nederland during the Cold Springs Fire July 10, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Bryon Lawrence and his wife Leslie Brodhead tend to their dogs inside the Nederland High School gym, a temporary Red Cross shelter for residents evacuated from the Cold Springs Fire July 09, 2016. Bryon and Leslie are unsure about the fate of their home.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Folks spray down the roof a house near away 119 and Hurricane Hill Drive as the Cold Springs Fire continues near the town of Nederland July 09, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A Red Cross shelter was set up for residents evacuated from the Cold Springs Fire at the Nederland High School July 09, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
A firefighter works the Cold Springs Fire near highway 119 on the outskirts of the town of Nederland July 09, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Folks hang out and keep their eyes on the Cold Springs Fire from the parking lot of the Nederland Middle/High School July 09, 2016.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
People gather along Colorado 119 near Nederland to get a view of the Cold Springs fire on July 10, 2016.
Andy Cross,The Denver Post
Nederland residents Dani Dillon, left, her boyfriend Wayne Rousseau, and their neighbor Dennis Conroy watch helicopters and tankers battle the Cold Springs Fire over their neighborhood near Highway 119 July 10, 2016. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Helicopters and planes drop water and retardant on the Cold Springs fire northeast of Nederland on July 10.
Photo by Andy Cross,The Denver Post
Jennifer Sharp takes pictures of the Cold Springs Fire raging out of control in an area where Sharp's home is located July 10, 2016.
The fire burned into Friday morning. “The men did not ensure that the fire was properly extinguished by dousing it with water or making sure the ashes were cool to the touch before leaving the site,” Wagner said. “It is believed that the winds in the area, combined with the weather, allowed the fire to continue smoldering.”
The fire eventually spread beyond the campsite. Somebody called 911 at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Burdeshaw is not facing charges, sheriff’s officials said, because she was not involved in building, maintaining or putting out the campfire.
Sunday, county authorities ordered evacuations of 738 more people — from areas south and southeast of Barker Reservoir and near Aspen Meadows. This was in addition to 1,253 people evacuated Saturday.
The fire destroyed three homes with outbuidlings at 171 Bonanza Drive, 37 N. Sky View Drive, and 325 Sherwood Drive, authorities said. Another 30 homes near the fire were considered at risk depending on temperature and shifting winds.
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center to support the Cold Springs fire and remains multiple wildfires within the state.
Weather forecasts for gusty wind and high temperatures had firefighting commanders bracing for difficult conditions that could cause the fire to expand rapidly. The authorities closed roads in the area, including Colorado 119 from Nederland to Magnolia Road, Hurricane Hill between Colorado 119 and Ridge Road. the St. Anton Summer Access Road between Colorado 119 and Ridge Road, and Sugarloaf Road between Switzerland Trail and Peak to Peak Highway. Also closed, authorities said Sunday afternoon, were the Peak to Peak Highway between Sugarloaf and Ridge Road, Silver Point to Peak to Peak Highway, Cold Springs Road between Colorado 119 and Ridge Road, Ridge Road, Conifer Road, Thunder Ridge South Road, Cougar Road, Shady Hollow Road, Switzerland Park, Upham Gulch and Wolfetongue.
