Campers arrested in connection with wildfire

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Two campers from Alabama have been arrested in connection with a wildfire that has destroyed three homes and three buildings north of Nederland in Boulder County.

Boulder sheriff’s deputies said Sunday afternoon that Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, and Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, both of whom are from Vinemont, Ala., face felony arson charges because of the dangers the fire poses, the Denver Post reported.

The men were booked into the Boulder County Jail, the newspaper reported.

Authorities say the men left a poorly extinguished campfire, smoldering as hot, dry winds whipped down from mountain peaks, that sparked the fire Saturday, forcing evacuations of nearly 2,000 people southwest of Boulder.

Authorities warned that shifting high winds and high temperatures on Sunday could put more homes in danger. The fire that started on Saturday spread quickly, and it scorched over 500 acres as it moved to the northeast.

Power was knocked out to some of the homes in the area.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said evacuations won’t be lifted because of the weather forecast, with hot weather and high winds making it too dangerous.

Officials said about 200 firefighters were on the ground and 12 aircraft fighting the fire from above.

Resident Lee Kennedy was evacuated from her home on Ridge Road, but she got a glimpse of the fire before she left, the Boulder Daily Camera reported.

“We went outside and looked and saw an inferno in the sky,” she said.