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Three bolts of lightning, three fires

Cliff Thompson

EAGLE COUNTY – Three lighting strikes within 45 minutes caused three small fires as a small thunderstorm moved across western Eagle County Friday afternoon.All three were confined to single trees and at press time two were either extinguished or contained, fire officials said. Crews were hiking toward the third fire Friday afternoon.The first fire was in the Upper Kaibab area south and east of Eagle; another was just north of Eagle near the Castle Peak subdivision; and the third was one mile west of Wolcott north of Interstate 70, said Eric Rebitzke of the federal Interagency Fire Office. Crews were having difficulty finding the smoldering tree near Wolcott, Rebitzke said.The storm that spawned the lightning carried little rain and successive hot days have created dry conditions that are ripe for wildland fires, Rebitzke said.Staff Writer Cliff Thompson can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 450, or cthompson@vaildaily.com.Vail, Colo.


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