colorado wildfire

[Nic Name]

Originally posted by perth

while i cannot say with authority that the fire was caused by a tourist, its hard to like the fact that so many people come here and fail to respect what they came to see

...

sorry about the rant. i want people to be able to see the beauty nature has provided here in colorado, but i dont want to clean up after them, rear end them or watch them set fire to our national parks.

Forest worker arrested over Colorado fire

17.06.2002

DENVER - The US Forest Service said today that one of its own officers had been charged with touching off a huge wildfire southwest of Denver, as firefighters continued to battle several stubborn blazes in Colorado.

Terry Barton, 38, was arrested on Sunday without incident, first assistant US Attorney for Colorado Bill Leone said.

The officer, who told authorities she was burning a letter from her estranged husband when the fire got out of control, was patrolling the area where the fire started on June 8.

According to Leone, Barton admitted starting the Hayman fire in an abandoned campground in the Pike National Forest after investigators confronted her with inconsistent statements she made earlier about discovering the fire.

A veteran of more than 18 years with the service, Barton had been charged with three criminal counts: setting fire to timber in a national forest, damaging federal property in excess of $1,000 and making false statements to investigators.

If convicted on all charges, Barton faces up to 15 years in prison and NZ$1,032,000 in fines.

Leone was joined at a news conference announcing the arrest by Colorado Govenor Bill Owens and other US Forest officials.

"We feel horrible about this," Rick Cables of the Forest Service told reporters. "It's a tragic situation."

Colorado, like other Rocky Mountain states, is in the grip of a severe drought, making timber bone dry and vulnerable to either lightning strikes or flying embers from man-made fires left unattended.

The Hayman fire, the largest in state history, started 10 days ago and has burned 25 homes and consumed about 103,000 acres about 88km southwest of Denver.

Colorado Owens said Barton's "act should not detract from the fine work of the US Forest Service".

Firefighters made headway in containing the blaze on Sunday, and had it about 47 per cent contained by late Sunday afternoon, said fire information officer Larrry Helmerick.

- REUTERS