Chatridge 2 Fire burns over 400 acres south of Denver

(UPDATED at 3:41 p.m. MDT June 30, 2020)

Investigators from the South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office determined that an electrical malfunction on a power pole started the Chatridge 2 Fire that burned 461 acres south of Denver yesterday.

The South Metro public information officer said the first Chatridge Fire occurred in 2016, “same area and same cause”.

The fire is still 100 percent contained and firefighters are mopping up today. 

More photos of air tankers at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (Jeffco) taken June 29 are at Fire Aviation.

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(Originally published at 3:31 p.m. MDT June 29, 2020)

In about four and a half hours today the Chatridge 2 Fire burned 456 acres south of Denver in Douglas County, finally bumping up against structures south of Highway 470 and east of Highway 85.

Firefighters stopped the spread of the fire as it reached Skydance Drive, thanks to the help of at least three large air tankers and multiple helicopters.

The fire moved quickly through brush and grass pushed by 17 mph winds gusting to 34 mph while the relative humidity was in the low teens.

It was reported at 9:49 a.m. and the spread was stopped at 2:42 p.m. MDT, June 29.

One of the large air tankers was Tanker 02 (N474NA), a BAe-146 dispatched out of Pueblo. There was also a P-3, Tanker 22 (N922AU), that just came on duty yesterday on the first exclusive use contract ever issued by the state of Colorado. An MD87 was also seen over the fire.  The large air tankers were slated to work the fire until about 3:30 p.m.

P-3 airtanker en route to the #Chatridge2Fire Follow @SouthMetroPIO for updated info on the fire #cofire pic.twitter.com/UtaeESJz82

— COFirePrev&Control (@COStateFire) June 29, 2020

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(UPDATED at 4:27 p.m. MDT June 29, 2020)

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bean. Typos or errors, report them HERE.