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CNN Live Today

Question of How Colorado's Biggest Wildfire Started Takes Another Strange Turn

Aired June 19, 2002 - 12:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: At last report, Colorado's biggest wildfire was growing again, and the question of how it started has taken yet another strange turn. The latest from Colorado, CNN's Rusty Dornin. She's been following this since the beginning -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, federal investigators are saying that Terry Barton deliberately set that fire. That this was not an accident, where she was burning a letter from her husband. And the reason that they are saying that is that the character of the way the fire burned.

Now Barton claims that she threw it in a campfire ring, tried to put it out and it escaped. But apparently forensic fire investigators say that the fire started outside that campfire ring in the underbrush, and they think Barton may have lied to them. They are going to present their argument at her preliminary hearing and detention hearing tomorrow in Denver.

But to talk a little bit about Terry Barton, someone who knew here and has known her for years. We have John Cronin. You knew Terry for years.

JOHN CRONIN, KNOWS TERRY BARTON: I've known Terry...

DORNIN: And you are objecting to what the forest service -- or, excuse me, federal investigators are saying right now. Why?

CRONIN: I've just known her up here for a few years, and I don't believe intentionally -- she being a good mother, a good person, good forest service employee -- that she would intentionally do anything that would damage the forest or the neighborhood or anybody else or their property up here. I don't believe that about her at all.

DORNIN: So there has been animosity in the community towards her, correct?

CRONIN: I would say that's probably true because of the loss of work and property and everything else.

DORNIN: But folks -- many of the folks you know say they don't believe she set it deliberately?

CRONIN: No. There's a lot of people up here that don't believe that this was an intentional act to destroy anything.

DORNIN: OK. All right, thank you, John Cronin, someone who knew Terry Barton.

CRONIN: Sure.

DORNIN: Of course, federal prosecutors are going to be trying to prove that tomorrow.

Now here on the Hayman Fire, 120,000 acres. This is the fire that Barton did set on June 8th, whether it was accidentally or not. It has burned another 7,000 acres overnight. The winds, the low humidity, are the thing that's fueling this fire.

And here to talk about the behavior of this fire, Bobby Kitchens, from the U.S. Forest Service, who has done many fires. I've worked with Bobby on several fires in Montana and Idaho and all over. Characterize this fire. I mean, this -- you know, what is the behavior of this? How difficult is it to fight this?

BOBBY KITCHENS, FIREFIGHTER: Well, Rusty, I've seen it only in the last few days, because I didn't get here early on. But the behavior that we experienced yesterday and the day before and the way I'm told it did when it made a major run before we got here is about as bad as it gets. I mean, it's just explosive. I've seen others this bad, but you know this is about as bad as it gets, because of the combination of the weather factors and the dry fuels and all that.

DORNIN: What happened to fire crews yesterday?

KITCHENS: Well the last couple of days, you know, we've had a major run in several areas, and we've had to pull back crews to safety zones. Which is something we plan, you know. If we have to do it, we have it all preplanned. And it worked just as we had it planned.

DORNIN: Now is the fire expected to do the same thing today?

KITCHENS: No, we had a weather forecast last night that made us a little bit apprehensive that we would have another terrible day. But, in fact, the forecast this morning moderated somewhat. So we're very hopeful that we're going to make some real gains today.

DORNIN: Do you think any more people are going to have to be evacuated today?

KITCHENS: Hopefully not.

DORNIN: OK. All right, thank you very much, Bobby Kitchens, from the U.S. Forest Service.

Also, one more question, Bobby. Just from the fires you've seen across the west, how would you compare this fire? Has it made more runs in one day than other fires or...

KITCHENS: No, not really. It's just that we are so low in relative humidity the last couple of days -- I mean like four or five percent. Now I'm from south Alabama and I still can't believe those figures. But, in fact, that's what the instrument showed. And of course there has been a long-term drought. So it made some pretty good runs yesterday.

DORNIN: Great. Thank you very much for joining us, Bobby Kitchens, from the U.S. Forest Service.

So hopefully firefighters are going to be able to make some gains today. Containment went down, actually. It was 47 percent, it's gone down to 40. And they're hoping to get those figures back up today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Rusty Dornin, live from Colorado -- thanks, Rusty.

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