STEPHEN PAULSON
Associated Press Writer
DENVER, Colo. (AP) -- A U.S. Forest Service technician accused of starting the wildfire that has blackened nearly 103,000 acres and destroyed 22 homes appeared in court in handcuffs Monday and was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors said Terry Barton, 38, started the fire June 8 while burning a letter from her estranged husband, then lied to investigators about it. If convicted of all charges she could be sentenced to a total of up to 20 years in prison and be fined $250,000.
Barton looked down as the charges against her were read in court. Her voice quavered as she told U.S. Magistrate Michael Watanabe that she understood she could be sentenced to prison.
U.S. Attorney John Suthers asked Watanabe to keep Barton held without bail pending a preliminary hearing.
``She would return to a community in which there is considerable hostility towards her and she could be considered a flight risk,'' Suthers said.
Barton was charged with setting fire to timber in a national forest, damaging federal property and making false statements to investigators, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Leone.
At the time the fire broke out, Barton was assigned to patrol the Pike National Forest in central Colorado to enforce a fire ban imposed because of a drought.
Barton, an 18-year Forest Service employee, said she burned the letter within a designated campfire ring, where fires normally would be allowed.
``She attempted to suppress the fire but it grew,'' Leone said.
Wind drove the fire to within 10 miles of Denver's far southwestern suburbs last week, or 40 miles from the city limits. Calmer, cooler weather and higher humidity helped crews dig lines around 47 percent of the blaze Sunday, but about 5,400 people remained out of their homes.
The air was calm Monday in Denver, where a faint, smoky haze hung in the air. Afternoon temperatures were expected to jump into the 80s and 90s.
Barton lives in Florissant, about 60 miles southwest of Denver. The city was among the hardest hit by the blaze, and many homes were evacuated.
``We all wanted to believe it was some fool from somewhere else. You can understand that, we don't want to believe it. That it's one of ours makes it real sad,'' said Jody Penny, 45, who was evacuated from Florissant Heights on Tuesday.
Barton initially told authorities she smelled smoke, discovered an illegal campfire and tried to put it out by throwing dirt on it. Investigators later determined she could not have smelled smoke from the position she reported.
Another blaze flared in southwest Colorado and had forced the evacuation of about than 860 homes by Sunday night. It had burned more than 26,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest, about 10 miles north of Durango.
Residents of an additional 450 homes were told to be ready to leave. One cabin was destroyed, and fire managers were trying to determine whether others had burned.
Elsewhere:
- A 6,500-acre blaze in California's Sierra Nevada destroyed two homes in the resort town of Walker, forced 400 people to flee and shut down U.S. Highway 395 south of Reno, Nev. The fire was 7 percent contained, with full containment expected Thursday, fire information officer Laura Williams said on Monday.
- A 3,500-acre fire near Lake Isabella, 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles, had destroyed five homes, five vehicles and seven outbuildings, and briefly forced about 200 people to flee during the weekend. Officials said it was nearly half surrounded by Monday morning.
- A fast-moving Southern California fire had burned 3,500 acres of rugged forest land and temporarily closed Interstate 15 in San Bernardino. It was only 10 percent contained by early Monday, authorities said.
- New Mexico's largest blaze, which has charred 92,500 acres on the Philmont Scout Ranch, was 75 percent contained and full containment was expected Wednesday.
- On the East Coast, a forest fire near Myrtle Beach, S.C., was contained Monday after burning about 1,500 acres and forcing 400 people to leave a golf resort near the shore. No injuries or damage to homes were reported.
