Flaming bird carcass believed to have sparked 1,155-acre wildfire in Colorado

Fire officials on Thursday said a flaming bird carcass is believed to have sparked a wildfire that grew to more than 1,000 acres and destroyed a home in unincorporated Arapahoe County.

The Byers and Strasburg Fire Protection Districts said the fire started on Saturday, July 13 around 10 a.m. near 2490 S. Quail Hollow Drive in unincorporated Arapahoe County.

The initial investigation revealed that a small bird touched energized electrical equipment apparently causing the animal to burst into flames.

"While the electrical equipment itself did not fail, the energy was sufficient to ignite the dry feathers of the bird, resulting in the flaming carcass falling into the vegetation below," fire officials said in a news release.

The initial fire size was smaller than a football field, but it quickly escalated and was later named the Quail Hollow fire.

"A combination of increasing wind, dry fuels, and topography continued to lead to rapid and erratic fire growth," fire officials from Byers and Strasburg said in a news release.

Fire crews called for backup, including air resources.

A home and at least seven outbuildings were destroyed as the Quail Hollow fire grew to an estimated 1,155 acres, fire officials said, based on aerial imagery. No injuries were reported.

A final determination of what caused the fire will be issued at a later date, authorities said. Strasburg Fire Protection District is the lead investigating unit on the incident, officials said.