Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line

Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village, near Broomfield, Colo. on Dec. 30, 2021. David Zalubowski/AP Photo, File

BOULDER, Colo.—Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire set days earlier outside a home used by a Christian religious communal group along with a sparking power line caused a 2021 Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities spent 18 months investigating and determined criminal charges were not warranted for either The Twelve Tribes that occupied the home or the utility in charge of the power line, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said at a news conference.