Golden – A Pine Valley property owner said he was only trying to do the right thing by burning branches to reduce the wildfire threat.
Within minutes on May 28, the burning pile of debris on John Carter Rowley’s driveway on Cochise Trail grew into an out-of-control brush fire.
“I feel like an idiot in hindsight,” Rowley said Wednesday as Jefferson County sheriff’s investigators prepared to give the case to the district attorney’s office.
Rowley may be cited for fourth-degree arson and firing woods and prairies, sheriff’s officials said, although charges have not been determined.
“We will be looking into this a little further,” said DA spokeswoman Pam Russell. “There could be additional charges, fewer charges or exactly the same charges.”
The fire consumed 102 acres, with most on Rowley’s property. It also forced the evacuation of four or five homes in Cliffdale and put residents of more than 350 homes within 2 miles on evacuation alert. More than 90 firefighters from seven departments battled the blaze, which cost $120,000 to extinguish.
Just three days earlier, Jefferson County imposed a ban on all fires, but Rowley said he didn’t know about it.
Rowley, who lives in Fort Collins, and other family members headed up to the property 7 miles southwest of Conifer for the Memorial Day weekend.
The property, which has been in Rowley’s family since 1952, had been struck in 2000 by the Hi Meadow fire.
“I never thought there was anything left to burn,” Rowley said. “The Hi Meadow fire killed the trees, which have died and are falling down in the wind. I was just trying to do cleanup, like I have been since the fire.”
Rowley said he had a hose and fire extinguisher on hand as he burned branches on his driveway, which has little vegetation around it.
“I’d been burning for 30 minutes when it was like a microburst came though,” he said. The scant vegetation exploded “like it was gunpowder and it got away from me.”
Rowley said he drove 3 miles before he got cell phone service. His 911 call was transferred from one agency to another, and firefighters had to backtrack when they arrived at the wrong place.
“I just couldn’t get the darn thing out,” Rowley said. “You feel so helpless.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
