Associated Press

Several large grassland fires sparked by lightning from a fast-moving storm burned in northeastern Colorado on Saturday.

Washington County officials said thousands of acres were burned after lightning ignited the fires Saturday afternoon. No structures were threatened, but people were cutting fences to allow livestock to flee the fires.

A fire burned an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 acres between Brush in Morgan County and Akron in northern Washington County. About 75 percent of the blaze was contained late Saturday night, officials said.

Three other fires were burning in Morgan County, Undersheriff John Fryar said. Two were fully contained.

In Logan County, three fires, one of which was 1,000 acres, were burning. No structures were threatened, county officials said.

Lightning also sparked at least 16 grass fires in Weld County, but no structures were threatened, sheriff's spokeswoman Margie Martinez said.

Crews from three fire departments were on the scene.

In El Paso County, firefighters on Saturday had extinguished several lightning-sparked wildfire that blackened 5,500 acres of grasslands.

Four fires had burned about 4,740 acres. Additionally, there were several small fires in the Hanover area, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Hartman said.

June 2, 2002

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