Bird ignites fire in Colorado after it hits power lines, gets electrocuted: 'It happens'

A brush fire that broke out behind a restaurant in Colorado was caused by an unlikely suspect: a bird.

The three-acre brush fire that sparked just northeast of The Fort restaurant in Morrison, a town about 20 miles from Denver, was caused by a bird that caught fire after it hit power lines and was electrocuted, West Metro Fire Rescue said in a post on social media.

"When it fell to the ground - it ignited the brush on the ground," the agency said.

The fire, that started in a field away from structure, burned in grass and oak brush, the fire rescue service said, adding firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire and clean up the area.

'It happens'

When a user on X asked the agency about the odds of such an incident occurring, the fire department said: "Well, it happens. Not all the time, but, it happens."

Turns out birds can actually trigger wildfire. The Wildlife Society Bulletin, in a 2022 research paper, noted that one of at least 44 wildfires was caused by electrocuted birds in the United States from 2014 through 2018.

One of the authors of the research paper Taylor Barnes had told the New York Times at the time of publishing that bird electrocutions usually occur in places with few trees, where bigger bird species may perch or nest on utility poles. While a bird can rest on one wire with no problem, touching two wires simultaneously or touching one wire and a piece of grounded equipment, such as a transformer, can spark an issue.

Wildfires in Colorado

Colorado, meanwhile, is battling several wildfires that broke out along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains this week due to a persistent drought and stretches of intense heat.

Four wildfires broke out between Monday and Wednesday along the Front Range, which runs from central Colorado into Wyoming, passing near several major cities including Denver. The fires grew rapidly and encroached on populated areas, forcing hundreds of people to flee. Several dozens of homes have been destroyed, officials said.

West Metro Fire Rescue, in their post, also warned of dry and hot conditions saying that "fire danger is VERY HIGH in West Metro's district," and that extreme weather conditions will persist in the coming days.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Claire Thornton, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.