The Black Forest fire in Colorado which has devastated 379 homes and over 15,000 acres, is likely to have been caused by a person.
El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Friday that speculation that a natural cause sparked the fire has been dismissed. "I'm pretty confident that natural causes will be out the window," he said, according to Denver Post. "We didn't have lightning in the area. Lightning is usually one of the contributing factors we first look at in the area when it come to natural causes."
Two people are dead from the fires, which started Monday evening and has been raging since.
Firefighters continue to battle the blaze, which has become very difficult to control due to windy weather conditions.
The mandatory evacuation zone has expanded to 24 square miles, and up to 38,000 people have been evacuated.
The names of the deceased from the fire have not been released yet.
Evacuation centers have been set up by the Red Cross at Palmer Ridge High School, the recreation center at the Colorado Springs campus of the University of Colorado, and at Elbert County Fairgrounds.
A citizens' service center help coordinate child care, pet care, housing, insurance and other benefits has been set up at 1645 Garden of the Gods Road, Denver post reports.
This week's fire is the most destructive fire in Colorado's history as it destroyed nearly 400 homes.
