Area residents were being allowed to return to their homes after the Fourmile Canyon Fire was declared fully contained by Boulder county officials.  Fire investigators have now turned their attention on finding the cause of the blaze which destroyed over 6,400 acres and 166 homes.

In addition, most of the trails which were closed in western Boulder during the Fourmile Fire have been reopened by Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks Department.  The exception to this is the Wonderland Lake which will remain closed as helicopters use water from the lake to extinguish the fire.  Please note that the Wonderland Lake area will be closed until further notice, and tickets will be issued to anyone not authorized to be in the area.

Fire investigators believe that the Fourmile Canyon Fire may have been accidentally started by a volunteer firefighter who was burning in a fire pit several days before the fire erupted.  On Tuesday afternoon, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they also believe the pit fire was the likely cause of the fire. 

The Boulder County Sheriff’s office did not release the name or additional information about the 71 year old man who is believed to have started the fire.   Local media outlets reported that Fourmile Fire Department Chief Brett Gibson confirmed that the man was a volunteer in the department and also noted that the suspect lost his own home to the fire.   According to Boulder County officials, there have been nine firefighters who lost their homes while fighting the Fourmile Canyon Fire.