CONIFER, Colo. - Some residents in the path of a Colorado wildfire weren't warned to flee because of a problem in an automated call system that relayed a mandatory evacuation order, authorities said Thursday.
About 12 percent of the people who should have received the calls on Monday did not, Jefferson County sheriff's spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said. The culprit was probably a software glitch, she added.
Kelley said the county had changed to a new automated call system in the past year. Officials were reviewing the system to see what went wrong.
The fire was apparently sparked by a state-prescribed burn that was stirred up by strong winds on Monday. Since then, 27 homes have been damaged or destroyed, an elderly couple was found dead at one of the homes and a woman whose house was destroyed remains missing.
The fire has blackened about 6 square miles in the mostly rural area southwest of Denver's populous suburbs. More than 500 firefighters were at the blaze Thursday, hoping to expand their containment line in case hot and windy weather returns this weekend as predicted.
Crews cleared lines on about 15 percent of the fire's 8.5-mile perimeter, but Kelley said that number would be much higher by the end of the day Thursday.
Two planes that drop fire retardant were diverted to a fire in South Dakota, but four Black Hawk helicopters from the Colorado Air National Guard were still dropping water on the blaze.
The bodies of 77-year-old Sam Lamar Lucas and 76-year-old Linda M. Lucas - known by some of her friends as Moaneti Lucas - were found at their home, which was destroyed by flames. Kelley said the couple received an evacuation call, but it was not clear when. It was not yet known whether the missing woman received an evacuation notice, Kelley said.
Officials originally said 900 residences received automated evacuation notices.
Kelley said residents should evacuate whenever they feel in danger. "You do not have to wait for the sheriff's office to tell you to evacuate," she said.
A team with dogs expanded its search for the missing woman after scouring 60 acres around her home.
Authorities were allowing evacuees from some areas to return home Thursday, but it wasn't immediately clear how many.
Gov. John Hickenlooper visited the area Thursday and pledged a "very, very thorough review" of the rules for prescribed burns. He noted that climate change appears to be causing drier weather and may require stricter requirements.
"We're going to get every single fact we can with a great sense of urgency," Hickenooper said. He said the review would take weeks, not months.
He cautioned against a rush to judgment. "People are human, right? They're going to make mistakes," he said.
Asked whether the state should reimburse residents for their losses, Hickenlooper said Colorado has traditionally relied on individual homeowners to insure themselves.
Coloradans could change the rules and make the state financially liable for damages linked to the actions of state employees, but that would require tax increases, he said.
Deputy State Forester Joe Duda apologized Wednesday for the fire.
"This is heartbreaking, and we are sorry," he said.
The Forest Service said protocols were followed for last week's controlled burn, but that wind gusts caused the blaze to re-ignite.
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