NEOLA — There was no lightning.
There were no remains of a bird that may have hit a power line, causing a spark.
After eliminating those and other suspected causes of a wildfire that killed three men and torched a dozen homes, investigators now say the 43,806-acre Neola North fire originated near the base of a power pole.
"It's going to be a human-caused fire," U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Capt. Tim Clark said, adding that the point of origin was too far from state Route 121 to have been caused by a dragging muffler or a discarded cigarette.
Authorities also said they have not found any signs of incendiary devices, such as an arsonist might leave.
The cause remains officially "under investigation" by the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Forest Service. However, the elimination of possible causes increases focus on the power pole.
"There were no downed power lines," state forester Dick Buehler noted Tuesday.
The cross-arm and lightning arrestors, removed from the pole after the fire started, have now been sent to an electrical engineering lab for testing, Clark said.
The pole belongs to the Moon Lake Electric Association, which has denied its pole caused the fire.
"They're not trying to hide anything," Clark said of Moon Lake officials. "They've been out on the ground with us. They're as much in tune with us in trying to determine what the cause of this fire was."
The electrical cooperative's insurance carrier has hired its own investigator to determine the cause of the fire, which is common when there are questions of loss and liability.
The fire could prove costly. It's cost about $7.2 million to fight so far, and state and federal officials would likely seek compensation if any fault can be found.
"We'd like to try to pursue that, but we've got to determine who and why and how before we do that," Buehler cautioned.
It's also possible, he conceded, investigators may never learn the cause.
"We don't know if we can ever determine how the fire started beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.
The Neola North fire started June 29, killing three men as they tried to save a hayfield from the wildfire. The fire has burned away from houses and was 83 percent contained late Tuesday.
Wildfires continue to burn in and out of Utah.
A lightning-caused fire burning 20 miles southwest of St. George surged in size Tuesday. The Black Rock Gulch Fire has grown to more than 20,000 acres. The fire is not contained and has threatened a fire lookout tower, communications equipment and some ranch buildings.
Near the Carbon County town of Kenilworth, smoke filled the sky Tuesday as firefighters set fires in an attempt to control the 1,300-acre Mathis fire. The lightning-caused blaze is 10 percent contained.
The Slide fire is now 100 percent contained. It has burned more than 6,000 acres of sagebrush, grass and pinyon juniper about 20 miles southeast of Fredonia, Ariz.
E-mail: geoff@ubstandard.com; bwinslow@desnews.com