Bird ignited by electric equipment blamed for starting fire in Byers

DENVER (KDVR) — A fire that destroyed one home and several other buildings is being blamed on a bird that got caught in electric equipment.

According to a release from the Byers and Strasburg fire protection districts, “The preliminary cause of the fire has been determined to be a small bird that came into contact with energized electrical equipment.”

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Investigators say that while the equipment didn’t fail, the energy was enough to cause the bird’s feathers to ignite, “resulting in the flaming carcass falling into the vegetation below.”

The fire began on July 13 near a home on South Quail Hollow Drive and was subsequently named the Quail Hollow Fire.

When it was first reported around 10:08 a.m., the fire was said to be about the size of a football field. Over the course of several hours, it was fueled by dry vegetation and strong winds causing it to grow to a size of 1,155 acres.

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Strasburg Fire Chief Patrick Conroy is the lead investigator and will release a final report in the future.

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