A photo from the first day of the Waldo Canyon Fire
/ FOX21: file photo
EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- The Cause and Origin specialist assigned to the Waldo Canyon Fire has found the spot where the fire started, according to El Paso County Sheriff's deputies.
The investigation is ongoing, and deputies said investigators have not yet determined how the fire started.
At the final press briefing Thursday morning, officials said they remain optimistic they will have the fire completely contained within days. It is currently 90 percent contained, but even after full containment, crews will remain on the front lines to put out hotspots and begin mop-up work.
The fire started June 23 and came over the foothills into Colorado Springs June 26, burning 346 homes in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood and forcing more than 32,000 people to flee for days.
Two bodies were found when firefighters went back into the neighborhood to begin cleanup.
Officials have spent more than $14.5 million to fight the fire so far, but only 776 firefighters remain on scene.
Incident Commander Rich Harvey, who has been in the firefighting business for more than 30 years, made a touching announcement when he said he has never seen so much support for firefighters during a fire as he has during the Waldo Canyon Fire.
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