It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish a small grass fire that started late this afternoon on Table Mountain, north of Boulder, but firefighters said the blaze should serve as a reminder of how fire-prone the region is after a particularly dry winter.
Investigators believe the fire was started accidentally by a model rocket launched by a man who lives in the 8500 block of Ouray Drive, which wraps around the mesa.
“That’s probably not the best hobby right now,” said Boulder Rural Fire Capt. Chris O’Brien.
Brett Heinrichs, the resident who admitted to launching an Estes model rocket, was issued a ticket on suspicion of violating Boulder County’s burn ban, which was declared Wednesday.
Under the burn ban, no open burning is allowed anywhere east of Peak-to-Peak Highway. Three other people have been ticketed for starting agricultural burns since Wednesday.
Violating the burn ban is a class 2 petty offense and carries a $500 fine on a first offense.
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