Fire at Fontenelle Forest burns 30 acres, crews confirm 'human ignition'

Ajouté : 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]INTO THE DAY ON FRIDAY.

[00:00:02]BACK TO YOU.

[00:00:03]IT WILL BE A HOT ONE.

[00:00:06]OKAY, THANKS, BILL BELLEVUE NATURE PRESERVE SAYS SOMEONE SPARKED A BRUSH FIRE.

[00:00:11]IT DESTROYED DOZENS OF ACRES.

[00:00:12]RANGERS AT FONTENELLE FOREST AND BELLEVUE FIRE WORKED TO GET THE FLAMES CONTAINED LAST NIGHT AND THEN INTO TODAY.

[00:00:19]KETV BETH CARLSON SHOWS US WHAT CAUSED IT AND WHY TODAY’S WEATHER HAD CREWS RUSHING TO PUT THOSE FLAMES OUT.

[00:00:28]WHEN THE WIND PICKS IT UP, IT CAN RUN.

[00:00:31]IT STARTED AS A SPARK WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON QUICKLY GREW BECAUSE OF ALL THE TIMBER THAT’S DOWN FROM THE 2011 FLOOD.

[00:00:40]YOU’VE GOT HUGE COTTONWOOD TREES THAT HAVE FALLEN OVER.

[00:00:44]THERE’S A LOT OF HEAVY TIMBER BURNING, BUT IT WAS JUST SMOLDERING, BURNING 30 ACRES IN THE FLOODPLAINS OF FONTENELLE FOREST.

[00:00:51]BELLEVUE FIRE SAYS A CIGARETTE -- LIKE THIS ONE LIKELY STARTED THOSE SPARKS, WHICH THEN QUICKLY SPREAD TO NEARBY, DEAD AND DOWNED TREES.

[00:01:00]WHERE IT OCCURRED WAS CERTAINLY OFF TRAIL.

[00:01:04]OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, DON’T DROP CIGARETTE --.

[00:01:07]DON’T BE LIGHTING THINGS, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR CLIMATE RIGHT NOW AND HOW DRY IT IS THAT CAN BECOME A PROBLEM REALLY QUICKLY, FONTENELLE FOREST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TYLER IRVINE SAYS A FOREST RANGER NOTICED THE SMOKE AND LATER CALLED IN BELLEVUE FIRE FOR BACKUP.

[00:01:24]THIS SEASON WE DO A LOT OF PRESCRIBED FIRE.

[00:01:28]THIS FIRE WAS NOT RELATED TO ANY ANY OF OUR PRESCRIBED FIRE OPERATIONS.

[00:01:33]OUR CREW IS ALSO WILDLAND WILDFIRE CERTIFIED, SO THIS IS RIGHT IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE.

[00:01:38]CREWS WORKING QUICKLY WEDNESDAY EVENING TO AVOID THURSDAY’S HIGH WINDS.

[00:01:41]THERE’S SPOTS IN THE BOTTOMS DOWN THERE WHERE IF THE FIRE WERE TO GET AWAY, WE WOULD BE VERY HARD PRESSED TO STOP IT.

[00:01:48]ONCE IT GETS PAST GIFFORD POINT, WE WOULD BE CHASING IT ALL THE WAY TO DOUGLAS COUNTY.

[00:01:53]WE’RE GOING TO KEEP IT CLOSED AND THOSE CAN BURN FOR A WHILE.

[00:01:56]SO FORTUNATELY, THE MAJORITY OF THE FOREST IS STILL OPEN, S