The first fire was reported Sunday around Oxford, and the most recent occurred Tuesday in the Bayfield area. Others have occurred in various locations, including Archuleta County and San Juan County, N.M.

Investigators said they are working to collect possible suspect information and determine how the fires, which did not burn any structures, were started.

At 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters with the Upper Pine Fire Protection District and Los Pinos Fire District responded to a fire in the 7700 block of the Buck Highway (County Road 521).

While en route, they observed another fire near the highway, at Mars Drive in Bayfield. Soon, two more fires were discovered, along U.S. Highway 160B, on the west side of Bayfield.

The fire in the 7700 block of County Road 521 grew to about 2 acres, making it the largest of the four. Because that fire was on Southern Ute tribal land, authorities with the tribe also responded.

Upper Pine Chief Rich Graeber said officials had received various vehicle descriptions in connection with the fires but hadn't had time to compare them. Once that process is complete, he said, the information could be released to the public.

He urged residents to be vigilant and report anything that seems suspicious.

"It's somebody who sees someone out of place that's going to break this wide open for us," he said. "If you think it's suspicious, it probably is."

Bill Shank, operations chief for Los Pinos, said the first fire in the Oxford area was reported at 9:15 p.m. Sunday. By 1:30 p.m. Monday, firefighters had responded to nine fires between Oxford and Arboles.

Shank said the fires Sunday and Monday were suspicious, but investigators had no witness accounts.

"We don't have anything to go on as far as that goes," he said.

Graeber said additional fires in San Juan County, N.M., were believed to be connected. He said it was still being determined how the fires were started.

Brenda Schultz, a wildland fire investigator with the U.S. Forest Service who was on scene at the larger of the Buck Highway fires, said she was trying to establish where the fire originated.

Once finished there, she planned to compare notes with investigators about the other fires.

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