CASTLE ROCK, Colo., June 14 (UPI) -- A record Colorado wildfire expanded slightly to nearly 100,000 acres Friday afternoon as weary but hopeful firefighters were able to get in close for the first time to make some progress in their battle against the largest blaze in the state's history.
As gusty winds fanned the Hayman Fire along at some 500 acres an hour earlier this week, ground crews were kept away for their own safety, but the fire, which was sparked by an illegal campfire June 8, has slowed in recent days and crews have taken advantage of the relative lull to hurl themselves into the backbreaking task of digging and burning out containment lines in threatened areas.
"On the north end of the fire we have made some progress," Kathy Hardy, a U.S. Forest Service fire officer said Friday at the Castle Rock command post. "They finally got some fire lines built Thursday and they are getting a line around the fire; it will take longer in the more rugged wilderness areas."
Still, officials estimate it still may take from 30 to 60 days to fully contain the Hayman Fire, which is 15-percent contained but is nearly 20 miles long and 14 miles wide, largely in the Pike National Forest; the fire is located about 40 miles southwest of Denver.
For a time the blaze was burning in a northeasterly direction toward the Denver metro area, but it was turned away by shifting winds and has since slowed. The fire has also turned back on itself several times due to the erratic winds in the area.
"For the most part, the weather has been cooperative," Fire Information Officer Heather Archambeault told United Press International Friday afternoon, noting that humidity was a relatively high 20 percent with a 30-percent chance of thundershowers over the weekend.
"It is still at around 100,000 acres," she said. "There has been no major action."
More helicopters and possibly C-130 tankers from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs were to be called into the battle Friday, Hardy reported. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are on the scene at the north and south ends of the blaze and Archambeault said "hundreds" of additional firefighters are on the way from several surrounding states.
About 22 homes have been lost so far but officials are unsure of the extent of the loss because they cannot yet get back into some of the burned-out areas. Small communities are scattered throughout the Front Range area south of Denver.
At least six large fires have been burning this week across Colorado. The state has been hit hard because of the worst drought in 50 years. With the entire state under a state of emergency, open burning and fireworks have been banned.
Financial damage from one blaze, pegged the Coal Seam Fire, was estimated Friday at $6.4 million by the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.
"Insurance adjusters have spent most of the week meeting with policyholders to help them begin the process of rebuilding," said association Executive Director Carole Walker. "For each person who lost a home, this is a devastating event, but thanks in large part to extraordinary firefighting efforts, the amount of overall damage reported so far has remained relatively low."
The cost of fighting the Hayman Fire has reached nearly $3 million and is estimated to hit $50 million by the time it is finally snuffed out sometime later this summer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday it was advancing Colorado $20 million to offset firefighting costs without requiring officials to first make a formal application.
"The situation in Colorado remains extremely serious, and we want the state to be able to focus on what is of paramount importance - combating these fires," FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh said in a statement from Washington. "The dedicated men and women fighting these fires should not have to worry about how the work will be paid for."
A federal panel has been named in Denver to decide if more forest or open-space closures, enforcement rules and public education are needed. The Pike National Forest has been closed to public access and the entire state is under very high or extreme fire danger.
Long-range forecasts indicate the intense heat and severe drought will continue through the summer. Although some experts predict more than normal rainfall, they say it will probably not be enough to make up for the severe drought.
(Reported by Phil Magers in Dallas and Hil Anderson in Los Angeles)
