The fire was reported just before 1 p.m. in the 9000 block of County Road 310, northeast of Bondad.

While the official cause was under investigation, officials suspect a property owner was burning trash or materials, and the pile either reignited or was left unattended.

"We know it did start on private land, and there was some indication that there was probably an unattended fire involved," said Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County's Office of Emergency Management.

The Los Pinos Fire Protection District was investigating the cause.

The side of a vacant home burned. The majority of the blaze burned in thick piñon and juniper.

A Mesa Verde Helitack helicopter was called off the 5-acre Piedra Fire in Archuleta County to assist with the blaze in La Plata County. Winds fanned the flames into pockets of dense fuel, creating a torching effect, said Steve Tolle, the pilot, during a break.

"Whenever the wind hits, it gets in these jackpots and starts taking off again," he said.

The blaze came within a quarter-mile of other structures, but there was a road between the flames and the homes, said Larry Behrens, chief of the Los Pinos fire department.

Residents living within a two-mile radius received reverse 911 calls to notify them of the fire, Knowlton said. Sheriff's Office deputies also were in the area contacting residents. No one was forced to evacuate.

As of Tuesday evening, crews were building a bulldozer line around the perimeter of the blaze to help contain it. Firefighters planned to monitor the burn overnight.

"I know they're having some good success right now," Knowlton said at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

He warned residents that fire season has arrived in the lower elevations of La Plata County.

"The southern half of the county has dried out," he said. "We haven't had any rain to speak of. We're entering that period of time when people need to be aware and very careful."

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