Colorado wildfires 2016 – The Denver Post Colorado breaking news, sports, business, weather, entertainment. Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:23:51 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-DP_bug_denverpost.jpg?w=32 Colorado wildfires 2016 – The Denver Post 32 32 111738712 Denver man ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution for starting 2016 wildfire by shooting explosive rounds at Dillon shooting range /2017/12/07/denver-man-restitution-2016-frey-gulch-fire/ /2017/12/07/denver-man-restitution-2016-frey-gulch-fire/#respond Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:23:51 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2881026 The Frey Gulch Fire burned 22 acres near Dillon last October. The man who accidentally started it by firing explosive rounds at the shooting range was ordered to pay $53,000.
Lake Dillon Fire Rescue, supplied
The Frey Gulch Fire burned 22 acres near Dillon last October. The man who accidentally started it by firing explosive rounds at the shooting range was ordered to pay $53,000.

It’s been more than a year since a man from Denver made a fateful trip to the Summit County Shooting Range near Dillon, where he fired explosive tracer rounds that ignited the 22-acre Frey Gulch Fire.

Tracer rounds are prohibited at the range, but it wasn’t the first time they had started a fire; in 2012 they were believed to have whipped up a small, 0.66-acre fire, although it was quickly extinguished.

By all accounts, Bryson Robert Jones, the man whose specialty ammo started the Frey Gulch Fire on Oct. 8, 2016, was shocked and horrified when the fire started. He immediately took responsibility when first responders arrived and was sick with anxiety and grief, according to incident reports.

Nonetheless, he was ordered by the Summit County Court to pay nearly $53,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service, underscoring the potentially enormous cost of even an honest mistake that causes a wildfire.

His fine could have been even worse. The fire cost the Forest Service an estimated $161,000, but the agency thought it would be magnanimous to only ask for about a third of that.

Read the full story

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Grand County prosecutors dismiss burn-ordinance charges against husband of Denver’s district attorney /2017/04/10/grand-county-prosecutors-dismiss-burn-ordinance-charges-christopher-linsmayer/ /2017/04/10/grand-county-prosecutors-dismiss-burn-ordinance-charges-christopher-linsmayer/#respond Mon, 10 Apr 2017 21:01:10 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2610099 Grand County prosecutors have dismissed  the husband of Denver District Attorney Beth McCann, violated a county ordinance when he burned slash piles on his property near Kremmling in November.

“We had a proof problem with our ordinance, is what it came down to,” Grand County Attorney Alan Hassler said on Monday. “It was nothing that the investigating officer did or anything wrong with the facts. We had an ordinance problem.”

Hassler’s office in late March filed a motion to dismiss two counts accusing Linsmayer of having an open fire on his property without a permit.

Hassler said the charges were dismissed without prejudice. “It’s possible that we could recharge,” he said.

Investigators said Linsmayer, 65, had been spotted burning slash piles on his property in Kremmling on Nov. 1. He was burning without an adequate water source and did not have a permit, according to Grand County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dan Mayer.

In a separate incident — for which Linsmayer was not charged — slash piles he was burning on Sept. 13 got out of control and of land near Kremmling, Mayer said. Roughly a dozen homes were evacuated and a mass of firefighting resources — known as the Gore Ridge or Gorewood Fire — under control.

“It was not an intentional criminal act,” Mayer said earlier this year. “His fire got out of control.”

Hassler on Monday said Linsmayer has “has paid full restitution for the submitted costs of fighting the September fire.”

Anthony John Dicola, Linsmayer’s attorney and a former Grand County attorney, did not return a message on Monday seeking comment.

Beth McCann, a Democrat, is . She took office in January in November. She was previously Colorado state representative.

In February, McCann told The Post in a statement that she was aware of the allegations against her husband and that he was cooperating fully with authorities.

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/2017/04/10/grand-county-prosecutors-dismiss-burn-ordinance-charges-christopher-linsmayer/feed/ 0 2610099 2017-04-10T15:01:10+00:00 2017-04-10T16:54:21+00:00
Husband of Denver’s district attorney accused of violating Grand County burn ordinance, starting wildfire /2017/02/16/beth-mccann-husband-burn-ordinance-grand-county/ /2017/02/16/beth-mccann-husband-burn-ordinance-grand-county/#respond Thu, 16 Feb 2017 19:14:02 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2465127 Christopher Linsmayer, the husband of , is facing charges in Grand County that he violated a burn ordinance in November. He also is that prompted evacuations near Kremmling.

Linsmayer, 65, is accused of two counts of having an open fire without a permit, a violation of a county ordinance, court records show.

“I understand there has been an ordinance violation charge filed,” McCann said in a statement to The Denver Post. “My husband is cooperating fully with local authorities.”

The charges against Linsmayer, , stem from a when investigators say he was spotted burning slash piles on his property in Kremmling.

Linsmayer was burning without an adequate water source and did not have a permit, according to Grand County Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Mayer. He was issued a summons for a petty offense.

Mayer said Linsmayer also was burning slash piles that got out of control on Sept. 13 and near Kremmling. Roughly a dozen homes were evacuated and a mass of firefighting resources were called in to the blaze — known as the Gore Ridge or Gorewood Fire — under control.

“We know he started it,” Mayer said. “He was doing a burn and it got out of control. The burn was not permitted and it wasn’t even a burn time.”

He added: “It was not an intentional criminal act. His fire got out of control.”

A Grand County court clerk said the only case against Linsmayer stems from the alleged county ordinance violations. The district attorney’s office says it is not handling a case against Linsmayer.

Linsmayer’s attorney was out of the office on Wednesday and Thursday. The Grand County attorney, who is pursuing the county ordinance violation allegation, was not available Thursday to comment.

Court records show Linsmayer is due back in court next month for an arraignment in the case.

Beth McCann, a Democrat, is . She took office in January after in November. She was previously Colorado state representative.

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Sparks from blown over truck blamed for wildfire near Walsenburg /2016/12/16/wildfire-walsenburg-truck-sparks/ /2016/12/16/wildfire-walsenburg-truck-sparks/#respond Fri, 16 Dec 2016 23:29:11 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2289309 Authorities believe sparks from a truck blown over in gusty winds sparked a wildfire in southern Colorado.

The fire started along Interstate 25 near Walsenburg on Thursday night after the truck was blown over and dragged on the ground. The flames spread to an estimated 2,000 acres.

The emergency manager for Huerfano County, Don Mercier, said Friday that fire crews believe they can keep it from spreading despite continued strong winds.

No one was injured and no homes were threatened.

A wildfire also broke out in strong winds near Loveland on Thursday night and spread to about 190 acres. Crews hope to have it fully contained by the end of Friday and expect to get help from the coming snow.

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Wildfire burning 2,000 acres in southern Colorado near Walsenburg /2016/12/16/walsenburg-wildfire-colorado/ /2016/12/16/walsenburg-wildfire-colorado/#respond Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:46:11 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2287799 A wildfire has burned roughly 2,000 acres overnight Thursday into Friday in a scarcely populated area two miles south of Walsenburg.

No people or buildings have been damaged. Roughly 20-30 responders were on scene Friday morning trying to control the “48 Fire,” Huerfano County’s Emergency Services Director Don Mercier said.

Crews have made good progress, but Mercier was not comfortable giving containment numbers given strong winds that could change conditions without notice. Some crews have been demobilized, though.

“As long as the wind is blowing, anything can happen,” he said.

Fire responders believe the fire started around 10:50 p.m. Saturday after wind blew over a trailer, which sparked as it was dragged across the ground. The fire is running East alongside Interstate 25.

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Fires in Green Mountain area — including 98-acre blaze — considered suspicious, authorities say /2016/12/01/green-mountain-fires-considered-suspicious/ /2016/12/01/green-mountain-fires-considered-suspicious/#respond Thu, 01 Dec 2016 19:06:44 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2237622 Authorities say a series of five wildfires in the Green Mountain area —  — appear to be suspicious.

West Metro Fire Rescue is asking for the public’s help in solving the open cases.

“Five fires occurred during the month of November, all but one were an acre or less in size,” West Metro said in a Thursday news release. “The most recent — — threatened several homes.”

The Green Mountain fire was put out by a large contingent or firefighters and firefighting equipment.

Officials say a multiagency fire and law enforcement team is working to investigate the five fires. No structures were burned, and no one was injured in the blaze.

Investigators are requesting that anyone who sees anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, whether in their neighborhood or on the trails in Green Mountain Park, to call 303-987-7111. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

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Mop-up crews fully contain Green Mountain wildfire in Lakewood /2016/11/29/green-mountain-wildfire-lakewood-containment/ /2016/11/29/green-mountain-wildfire-lakewood-containment/#respond Tue, 29 Nov 2016 14:17:47 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2234927 Mop-up crews fully contained the Green Mountain wildfire just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 23 hours after it started Monday evening and was visible by much of the Denver metro area.

Hand crews spent Tuesday extinguishing hot spots where scrub oaks were burning, said Steve Aseltine, spokesman for West Metro Fire Protection. Most of the wildfire burned grasslands, he said.

About 160 firefighters from a dozen agencies were able to achieve and hold 90 percent containment through Tuesday, according to a West Metro Fire Protection report.

Lakewood police, West metro investigators and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents are together investigating the cause of the fire, Aseltine said. The cause and origin are still unknown.

Using mapping equipment, an airplane flyover determined that the wildfire covered an area of only 96 acres, not the 300 acres previously estimated, Aseltine said.

The wildfire, visible throughout the metro area, was Two hours later, the fast-moving blaze forced evacuations from a neighborhood on the east side of Green Mountain.

Crews attached to 52 apparatus — engines, brush trucks and tenders — aggressively attacked the fire, according to messages posted to the West Metro Twitter account. By 8:30 p.m., they were at 90 containment. Evacuations were called off at 9:20 p.m.

Temperatures, which dipped to the low 20s overnight, helped firefighters maintain 90 percent containment.

“This one — for all practical purposes — is in a metro area where thousands and tens of thousands of people can see it,” Lakewood police spokesman Steve Davis said Tuesday morning. “Resources were called very very quickly. It worked like it should. No houses or buildings were burned as far as I’ve heard, and no firefighters or citizens were hurt. I don’t know of any problems.”

A 1 a.m. West Metro tweet said the cause of the fire was not yet known. An investigation will continue Tuesday morning. Davis said there were no reports of campers or people seen in the area where the fire erupted. There also was no reports of lightning.

Evacuee Jana Schulder said she found out about the fire online Monday evening then looked out her bedroom window on Dakota Place. She saw flames.

A walk down her street brought another sight of fire and smoke on the hill that “reminded me of lava coming out of a volcano,” she said. By the time she got the evacuation notice at 7:19 p.m., it looked like it was starting to die down, but she left anyway.

“It was far enough away that I was more sad because I like to hike on Green Mountain,” Schulder said. She had hiked there earlier in the afternoon, in fact — and noticed the dryness.

The fire broke out on the large open space south of West Sixth Avenue and east of C-470. The area is grassy with patches of brush but few trees. The glow of flames atop Green Mountain was visible from downtown Denver and other parts of the metro area.

William Frederick Hayden Green Mountain Park, the area’s official name, is about 2,400 acres, according to the city of Lakewood.

Firefighters took up positions in the neighborhoods to knock down flames if they advanced near homes. Winds were gusting above 20 mph in the area. They later slowed into the teens.

Evacuees were sent to Creighton Middle School, and a couple dozen cars filled the school’s parking lot.

Robbe Sokolove knew something was wrong on Green Mountain, four blocks from her home on West Mississippi Court, before she saw a report of the fire on the TV news. Her dog, Morrie, was acting out of sorts.

“He’s very hyper-sensitive to environmental stuff,” she said, and probably smelled the burn.

Soon her landline and cellphone were ringing with the reverse-911 notification.

“It was very hard to tell from the news exactly where it was,” Sokolove said of the fire, or how far from her home.

A trained Red Cross volunteer, Sokolove took no chances. “My first instinct was to pack up my dog and three cats and notify my daughter,” who was at work. “What¶¶Ňőap bizarre to me is this is not lightning season. To me, I’m thinking it¶¶Ňőap got to be human.”

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Green Mountain wildfire in Lakewood 90 percent contained, evacuations lifted /2016/11/28/wildfire-green-mountain-lakewood-colorado/ /2016/11/28/wildfire-green-mountain-lakewood-colorado/#respond Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:57:13 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2234660 A fast-moving wildfire on Green Mountain in Lakewood on Monday forced evacuations from a neighborhood as crews raced to contain the flames amid gusting winds and brittle-dry conditions.

Evacuations had been lifted by about 9:20 p.m.

West Metro Fire Protection District spokeswoman Ronda Scholting said evacuations had been ordered on three streets on the east side of Green Mountain. Later, the city of Lakewood said residents were evacuated from neighborhoods west of South Alkire Street and north of West Mississippi Court.

By 8:30 p.m., West Metro Fire said the fire was 90 percent contained and that no further evacuations were planned.

Evacuee Jana Schulder said she found out about the fire online Monday evening then looked out her bedroom window on Dakota Place. She saw flames.

A walk down her street brought another sight of fire and smoke on the hill that “reminded me of lava coming out of a volcano,” she said. By the time she got the evacuation notice at 7:19 p.m., it looked like it was starting to die down, but she left anyway.

“It was far enough away that I was more sad because I like to hike on Green Mountain,” Schulder said. She had hiked there earlier in the afternoon, in fact — and noticed the dryness.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. on the large open space south of West Sixth Avenue and east of C-470. The area is grassy with patches of brush but few trees. The glow of flames atop Green Mountain was visible from downtown Denver and other parts of the metro area.

West Metro Fire initially estimated the fire’s size at 5 to 7 acres but within an hour updated that estimate to 300 acres. William Frederick Hayden Green Mountain Park, the area’s official name, is about 2,400 acres, according to the city of Lakewood.

Firefighters took up positions in the neighborhoods to knock down flames if they advanced near homes.

“We’re sending in some trucks for possible structure protection now,” Scholting said.

Crews from multiple agencies battled the fire. Denver Fire, alone, reported sending six engines to help.

Although temperatures were close to freezing, according to the National Weather Service, winds were gusting above 20 mph in the area. They later slowed into the teens.

Evacuees were sent to Creighton Middle School, and a couple dozen cars filled the school’s parking lot.

Robbe Sokolove knew something was wrong on Green Mountain, four blocks from her home on West Mississippi Court, before she saw a report of the fire on the TV news. Her dog, Morrie, was acting out of sorts.

“He’s very hyper-sensitive to environmental stuff,” she said, and probably smelled the burn.

Soon her landline and cellphone were ringing with the reverse-911 notification.

“It was very hard to tell from the news exactly where it was,” Sokolove said of the fire, or how far from her home.

A trained Red Cross volunteer, Sokolove took no chances. “My first instinct was to pack up my dog and three cats and notify my daughter,” who was at work. “What’s bizarre to me is this is not lightning season. To me, I’m thinking it’s got to be human.”

Investigators had not yet determined a cause, Scholting said.

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Beaver Creek fire cost at roughly $30 million as massive blaze near Walden continues to smolder /2016/11/21/how-much-does-beaver-creek-fire-cost/ /2016/11/21/how-much-does-beaver-creek-fire-cost/#respond Mon, 21 Nov 2016 18:23:43 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2227782 The cost of battling the massive, human-caused  has reached roughly $30 million dollars as the blaze continues to smolder and produce smoke.

Aaron Voos, spokesman for the Routt National Forest, said Monday there was still visible smoke at the site as of Saturday.

“There are still minimal costs associated with it,” Voos said, explaining that a final tab for the fire — which burned more than 38,000 acres, destroying one home and 16 other structures — has yet to be calculated.

The Beaver Creek fire stood apart from other wildfires and was so difficult to harness because of its 38,000-plus acres of mostly beetle-kill timber, a volatile fuel that forces firefighters such large burns.

The U.S. Forest Service hopes the fire provides a blueprint for how to fight blazes in the millions of acres of forest in Colorado and across the West that have been ravaged by insects.

A juvenile in connection with the fire. Officials, however, have declined to release further information on the suspect, including age, gender and hometown.

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Junkins Fire in southern Colorado is now 100 percent contained /2016/11/05/junkins-fire-in-southern-colorado-is-now-100-percent-contained/ /2016/11/05/junkins-fire-in-southern-colorado-is-now-100-percent-contained/#respond Sat, 05 Nov 2016 20:53:29 +0000 http://www.denverpost.com/?p=2211655 Firefighters have fully contained the Junkins Fire in southern Colorado .

A “final update” issued Saturday by the incident command said the fire was now 100 percent contained. As of last Sunday, the 18,403-acre fire , and it has not grown since.

“Light to heavy smoke from deep within the fire’s interior may still be visible at times and will remain until the area receives enough precipitation to completely extinguish the fire,” the statement says.

The fire has been burning 11 miles east of Westcliffe. It has consumed nine homes and 17 outbuildings, according to the update statement. The fire was set off Oct. 17 when wind carried a metal outbuilding into a power line, causing the line to hit a barbed-wire fence, investigators have said.

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