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Grand County officials investigating origins of fire near Henderson Mill

McKenna Harford
SkyHi News
Fire crews contained the 4.7-acre Kinney Fire quickly on Saturday, May 22. The fire was human caused, though its exact origin is still under investigation.
Photo from U.S. Forest Service

 

GRANBY — The U.S. Forest Service is investigating a wildfire that broke out inside the Williams Fork Fire closure area Saturday, May 22.

Around 2:30 p.m., fire crews responded to the area along Grand County Road 30, about 1 mile from the Sugarloaf Campgrounds near the Henderson Mill, for a wildfire that the Forest Service dubbed the Kinney Fire.

Forest Service spokesperson Tammy Williams said crews were able to contain the 4.7 acre fire around 3 p.m. that day with help from Hot Sulphur Springs Parshall Fire, Kremmling Fire, Grand Fire, Grand EMS and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.



Williams said the fire was determined to be human caused and that officials continue to investigate the origin. She emphasized the importance of respecting closures and being aware of fire danger.

“People need to be extra careful with anything that could start a fire,” Williams said. “Don’t park in tall grass. If a campfire is too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.”



Closures remain in place following last year’s Williams Fork and East Troublesome fires. For the latest closure information, go to FS.USDA.gov/goto/arp/knowbefore.

The early season wildfire has many people wondering what this this summer will bring. So far, this is the third wildfire in Grand County. Summit County had two wildfires in early April.

Last year, there were two major forest forest fires in Grand County — the East Troublesome Fire and Williams Fork Fire — which were both determined to have been human caused, though their exact causes remain under investigation.

The East Troublesome Fire torched over 192,000 acres, and the Williams Fork Fire burned for months over almost 15,000 acres.

There were also major fires in Glenwood Canyon, near Boulder and outside Grand Junction, but north of Grand County, the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres, making it the largest ever recorded in Colorado.

Heading into this wildfire season, conditions are worse than last year. The Colorado River Basin is at 67% of the average and the Western Slope, including a large portion of Grand County, is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

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