The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will release an After-Action report Tuesday on the deadly Black Forest fire that began one year ago.
Sheriff Terry Maketa is expected to discuss the report on the county’s response to the fire, which killed two people and destroyed 488 homes.
Insured damage for the fire that began on June 11, is estimated at $420.5 million and it was the second most damaging wildfire in Colorado after the Waldo Canyon fire burned in Colorado Springs city limits the year before.
The cause of the fire has yet to be released. Black Forest Chief Bob Harvey announced that it had probably been human-caused.
Maketa condemned Harvey for talking about an active investigation and accused him of mishandling the blaze.
An investigation into the Black Forest Fire Rescue Department’s handling of the of the blaze cleared the chief and his department of mishandling the fire.
Last month, voters replaced three of five members of the Black Forest Fire Board.
Last week, Harvey said he had post traumatic stress disorder and took a leave of absence.
Maketa is entangled in a sex scandal, accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with female employees, promoting employees to in the middle of his own scandal. Maketa is accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with female employees, promoting employees to positions they didn’t earn and misusing tax money.
In a video Maketa sent to Sheriff’s Office employees, he apologized for engaging in “inappropriate behavior in the past.”
He has said he will not step down, though the County Commission recently requested he do so.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
