FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Saturday's wet weather helped firefighters make progress on the Hewlett Fire.
Reghan Cloudman, spokeswomen with the U.S. Forest Service, said the wildfire is 85 percent contained. Also the size of the fire has shrunk to 7,685 acres.
Three wildland fire engines will patrol the subdivisions and State Highway 14 Saturday night, Cloudman said.
Three helicopters were assigned to provide aerial drops on the wildfire but were unable to fly due to the weather conditions. But those same conditions proved to be just as beneficial to firefighters.
Rainfall helped curb any spread of the blaze on Saturday, Cloudman said. Firefighters reported no to very little new fire growth.
All evacuations in the area were lifted on Friday night. While Highway 14 is reopened, officials said drivers should be on the lookout for any emergency vehicles since it is still an active fire.
The Hewlett Fire ignited Monday afternoon after a Fort Collins man illegally used his camping stove off of the Hewlett Gulch Trail. James Weber told authorities he unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the fire that started when his stove tipped over. When he couldn't do anything to stop it, he left the area to get into cell phone range to call 911.
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