GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo.—A fisherman who was injured in a western Colorado wildfire last year says he was afraid he was going to burn to death.
Larry Garfinkle testified Monday in the trial of rancher Larry Gerbaz, who is charged with arson in the April 2008 fire near Carbondale.
Garfinkle suffered serious burns to his head and one hand. He testified he was burned as he was lowering himself into a creek to avoid the flames.
The fire also damaged four houses. Prosecutors say Gerbaz failed to extinguish a debris fire that flared up and spread.
Defense attorney Tom Silverman says no one knows how the fire started because many landowners had burn permits and winds were so strong that embers could have blown long distances.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
