THE DAILY WIRE · COLORADO · 2026-08-22
Breaking and Entering, Now With Arson: A Colorado Bear's Big Night
A bear in a Colorado mountain town has managed to escalate the state's already busy season of home invasions by breaking into a house and, in the process, starting a fire — a first for this columnist's ongoing bear-incident file, which is admittedly getting quite thick.
The Denver Post reports the bear entered the residence and its actions inside resulted in a fire breaking out, details this reporter awaits with the patience of a journalist who has learned not to speculate ahead of the full incident report. What is confirmed is that the animal got in, and things caught fire, in that order.
This columnist has covered a great many bear break-ins this season and can say with some authority that this represents a new tier of property damage entirely. Eating the fried chicken is one thing. Structural combustion is, frankly, showing off.
For a local perspective on the region's mounting bear activity, this reporter located Coach Dobbins, a veteran elk with strong opinions about the neighborhood's declining respect for property lines. His comparison of ungulate versus ursine home-invasion etiquette proved unexpectedly detailed.
Authorities have not indicated whether the bear will face any consequences beyond, presumably, being extremely full and slightly singed. This columnist will be filing follow-up requests.
“Bears been getting bolder every season, walking into cabins like they've got a lease, and now one's out here starting fires without even a smoke detector to answer for. Between us elk, we just stick to eating people's tulips, much lower liability.” — Coach Dobbins, elk
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