The Teller County Sheriff’s Office says the Chateau Fire is now 100 percent contained Monday night.
#chateaufire #highchateaufire is now 100% contained! Residents are no longer on pre-evac. Thank you firefighters! #tcso
— Cdr. Greg Couch, PIO (@TCSOPIO) July 10, 2018
The fire was reported on June 29, as flames were seen on forest service land before they moved into the High Chateau subdivision.
The 1,423 acre fire forced evacuations of roughly 571 homes and 1,700 people, with another 1,800 people on pre-evacuation status. All of those evacuations and pre-evacuations have since been lifted.
Eight homes and multiple outbuildings were were lost to the fire, according to officials.
The fire was allegedly started by three people who have since been arrested. 23-year old David Michael Renfrow, 19-year old Kegan Patrick Owens, and a 17-year-old minor are all in custody. Renfrow and Owens are residents of Manitou Springs. The 17-year-old is from Colorado Springs.
According to arrest records, the three suspects were camping and lit a campfire under fire restrictions and left it unattended after being spooked by a bear.
The sheriff’s office said more people could be charged in this investigation, but each person could face 4-8 years in prison and a $3,000 to $750,000 fine.
