Investigators: Mower malfunction caused Spring Glade Fire

UPDATE 7/24: Investigators determined Monday the Spring Glade Fire was caused by hot metal due to a mechanical failure in mowing equipment, according to Loveland Fire Rescue.

ORIGINAL STORY: Bob and Lori Smith’s contractor delayed mowing their property on Spring Glade Road for several days because of how hot and dry the weather had been.

But on Saturday, the weather was much cooler, Bob Smith said.

“Though apparently, not cool enough,” he pointed out.

The cause of the Spring Glade Fire southwest of Fort Collins that started out at approximately 25 acres on Saturday morning and spread to about 371 is still under investigation.

However, Smith said he was watching the contractor mow his property when suddenly, he saw a fire spark.

The contractor had hit a rock while mowing, and either that or one of the gearboxes overheating may have caused the fire, Smith said.

More:Timberline and Carpenter intersection reopens after crews battle grass fire

He rushed out to try to put it out and was able to smother some flames and protect his house, but as he tried to put out the rest of the fire that was headed toward the Coyote Ridge Natural Area, the wind was no match for him.

He left to get a backhoe to try to put it out and Lori Smith called 911. Then she began calling neighbors to warn them.

“It started as a puff of smoke, but by the time Bob got to it with the backhoe, it was out of control,” Lori Smith said.

Neighbor Bonnie McDermid began helping spread the word.

“... it was just a humongous fire, and lots of flames and wind gusts,” she said.

But thankfully, she said, many of the neighbors in the area were out of town.

The Smiths and Bonnie and John McDermid say their area often sees fires in the dry, summer heat, but this one was larger than some of the others they’ve seen.

Lori Smith said the contractor was in shock at what happened and could not stop apologizing for the fire they say started accidentally.

They were trying to get ahead of their lamb’s ear for future fire mitigation, and the contractor had cut their grass before, so the fire caught them completely by surprise, they added.

Bob Smith said if anything became more clear to him after this fire though, it’s that the emergency and fire crews are “doing this work because they enjoy it and think it’s necessary.”

“All of the people involved in this were very efficient, very helpful and very polite,” he said.

As of 7:05 p.m. Sunday night, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jered Kramer said the fire was 95 percent contained.

The fire, according to the Sheriff’s Office, did not see any growth Saturday night as crews continued to work on putting it out.

Sgt. Kevin Johnston of Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services was serving as an incident commander on Sunday and said the relative humidity on Saturday night helped to stop the spread of the fire.

As of Sunday morning, there were no immediate threats to any structures, he added.

However, because there were several other fires in Loveland, Fort Collins and Larimer County on Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office will maintain command until it’s completely contained, despite earlier plans to release it to Loveland and Poudre fire authorities.

Kramer said it makes more sense as resources are stretched.

In addition to containment work and cleanup on Sunday, Kramer said crews were also able to utilize three air drops from the single-engine air tanker and heavy-life helicopter responding to the Chimney Hollow Fire.

More:Update: Chimney Hollow Fire mostly contained

Patrols will continue to monitor the area over night, but crews won’t be working the fire Sunday night, Kramer said.

On Monday, U.S. Forest Service and Boulder County fire crews will assist Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services.

Officials remind residents that smoke will continue to be visible even after the fire is fully contained.

You can follow Reporter Saja Hindi on Twitter at twitter.com/BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.