The federal government has reached a settlement with two men accused of starting the Alta fire in the Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today.
The fire in July 2003 burned 120 acres about 4 miles south of Telluride in San Miguel County.
The agreement gives the U.S. Forest Service $300,000 in fire-suppression costs to be paid by the homeowner’s insurance of John D. “Jack” Wesson.
The agreement is “not to be construed as an admission of liability,” the news release said.
Wesson and Matthew Dwight Allen were in the forest on or about July 10, 2003, the release says. A fire ban was in place at the time. They passed a lit cigarette lighter back and forth, and the flame ignited “aspen cotton fluff floating in the surrounding air.”
“Fire bans are not issued frivolously by government agencies,” Jackie Parks, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Acting Deputy Regional Forester, said in a statement. “As we have seen previously in our region, failure to observe these bans can have devastating impacts and result in high suppression costs. I am pleased that we have been able to recoup some of these taxpayer costs.”
