El Paso County Criticized Over Fire Code Approach

(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
<p>Fire crowns in the trees in the Black Forest area north of Colorado Springs, Colo.</p>
Black Forest Fire 1
Fire crowns in the trees in the Black Forest area north of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports the county has wildfire protections built into land use codes for large-scale developments, but it did not improve or extend those codes after the 2013 Black Forest fire.

County-wide codes governing development in wildfire zones are not universal in Colorado.

The Black Forest fire started June 11, 2013, and burned 15,000 acres, destroyed 488 homes and killed two people.