Rain helps tame Colorado wildfires

Fort Collins — — (AP) —(AP) — Firefighters say rain and cooler weather are helping them gain ground on several wildfires in northern Colorado. Firefighters say rain and cooler weather are helping them gain ground on several wildfires in northern Colorado.

(AP) — Firefighters say rain and cooler weather are helping them gain ground on several wildfires in northern Colorado.

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday a quarter inch of rain and high humidity helped contain the Stuart Hole fire to about 227 acres. The cost of fighting the fire is estimated at $324,000

Larimer County sheriff’s officials said aircraft from the Stuart Hole fire and about 40 firefighters helped put out a new fire Wednesday that was started by lightning.

The lightning-sparked Stuart Hole fire damaged at least two outbuildings since it started Monday. It’s about 40 miles northwest of Fort Collins in rocky terrain north of where a camp stove ignited a wildfire last month. That earlier fire is smoldering but is fully contained.