Investigation Asks Whether Controlled Burn Could Have Led to JeffCo Fire

Firefighters are hoping to gain ground in their fight against a huge wildfire in Jefferson County near Conifer today.  It’s already claimed at least two lives and about two dozen homes, and it’s forced hundreds of evacuations.  The Jefferson County Sheriff’s office believes the fire may have started when high winds whipped up remnants from a controlled burn that the Colorado State Forest Service conducted last Thursday.   Jane Lopez, who manages the agency’s controlled burn program, says there’s a long checklist fire officials use to make sure conditions are right  before a burn can be set.  She told Colorado Public Radio’s Judith Smelser,  everything checked out for last week’s burn. 

[Photo: CPR/MVerlee]