Colorado wildfire southeast of Aspen caused by abandoned campfire, officials say

One of the several wildfires burning in western Colorado was caused by an abandoned campfire, federal fire officials said this weekend. As a result, hikers, campers, and hunters are being warned to stay away, as the fire has closed several recreational areas, including a popular 14er.

"The PSICC law enforcement officers have confirmed that the La Plata Fire is human caused and started from an abandoned campfire," the U.S. Forest Service said in a Facebook post. "If you have any information about the cause of this fire, please email sm.fs.psiccpa@usda.gov with 'La Plata Fire Information' in the subject line."

The campfire that officials think caused the fire contained discarded trash items, including two aluminum cans and a pink vape, investigators' photos show.

Vapes in particular are at partial risk of fire in themselves due to the lithium-ion batteries, which can catch fire. It's unclear if the vape was thrown into the campfire, caught fire beforehand, or was damaged in the resulting wildfire.

The fire, which straddles Chaffee and Lake Counties, has steadily grown to 133 acres since sparking on Aug. 17. It has 0% containment as of Sunday afternoon. About 30 miles southeast of Aspen and four miles west of Twin Lakes, the fire is impacting the Pike-San Isabel National Forests area.

After two hot weeks and drought-like conditions, fire crews are finally getting some relief from the weather, as both humidity and the chance of rain are considerably higher this week, while temperatures have begun dropping. The moisture has complicated efforts on the ground, as some of the areas are too slick for any of the 105 firefighters involved to safely hike to the fire, according to Phil Daniels, incident commander with the Colorado Incident Management Team.

A firefighting helicopter did, however, attack hotspots inside the fire's perimeter, which held on the south end due to rockier, less fuel-rich terrain.

Fire officials are warning hikers, campers, and hunters in the area to keep a safe distance from the fire, even if gates are left open to allow firefighters access to the impacted areas.

The area around the fire, including La Plata Peak, the Leadville Ranger District, and the North Fork Clear Creek Trailhead, has been ordered closed to the public. You can see a full closure order and map here.

"Please follow any fire restrictions when recreating in the high country," the Colorado Incident Management Team wrote in a statement. "It takes more than just a bit of water to put out a campfire fully. If your campfire is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave."