The massive Hayman wildfire near Denver in 2002 was initially regarded as an accident caused by careless campers, but the case later turned into a hunt for an arsonist. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports on the unlikely suspect and how investigators uncovered minuscule clues in the expansive destruction caused by the blaze.
Watch Part II of the report:
Jaenette and Kristian Coyne's home was destroyed by the blaze in Colorado. They escaped the fire with their 20-month-old baby and the few sentimental items they could pack with little time to get out.
At a local fire station on Tuesday, they watched the images on the news showing their home consumed by flames. "It was probably the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," said Jaenette. They told Anderson Cooper how they're processing the devastating destruction of their property in an interview on Thursday.
"We literally had five minutes and we left because the flames were there," said Jaenette. "The first thing I grabbed was the baby album, then I grabbed our personal computer ... we grabbed the fire box ... and that was it. We had to leave."
Firefighters made little headway Thursday against a raging wildfire near Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has scorched close to 16,000 acres, destroyed 360 homes and claimed at least two lives.
Witnesses spoke to the two victims in the afternoon, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa told reporters.
"They said that they could see a glow to the west. They were packing their personal belongings, trying to get out," he said.
Earlier, county spokesman Dave Rose told CNN that the Black Forest Fire, burning northeast of the city, now appears to be the most destructive in terms of property lost in state history.
Alan Simmons is a former firefighter who captures, up close, the intense work trying to control major wildfires. Simmons tells Anderson Cooper what it's like to battle rapidly growing blazes in California.
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CNN's Paul Vercammen shows what firefighters are up against in Southern California as they defend neighborhoods from the blaze that burned at least 6,500 acres Thursday.
After the devastating wildfires, one Washington fairgrounds has turned into a giant refugee center for as many as 400 animals. CNN's Dan Simon reports.
Washington resident Rosemary Putnam frantically ran to safety with her family and horses to escape the wildfires.
CNN's Gary Tuchman visits a Colorado animal shelter housing hundreds of pets after wildfires forced their owners to flee.
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CNN's Gary Tuchman follows an elite team of firefighters who parachute into the front lines to battle the Colorado wildfires.
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CNN's Martin Savidge reports on how technology is used to help predict wildfire movement.
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