On Monday, June 4, Governor Hickenlooper signed HB-1352 establishing the “Lower Northfork Wildfire Commission”. Its directives were clear: “to investigate the causes of the wildfire and to make recommendations for legislative … action that would prevent the occurrence of a similar tragedy.”The bill charged the commission to investigate the following:Causes of the Lower North Fork wildfireThe impact of the Lower North Fork wildfire on the affected communityThe loss of life due to the Lower North Fork wildfireFinancial devastation incurred by the communityThe loss of confidence by the community in response to the emergency by governmental bodies at all levelsMeasures to prevent the occurrence of a similar tragedyTo date, the Commission has held four public meetings, on August 13, August 22, September 5 and September 25. Still, not a single member of the Colorado State Forest Service – the entity that started the prescribed burn, which destroyed our homes and...
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The families of the Lower North Fork Fire (the fire resulting from an escaped prescribed burn by the Colorado State Forest Service in March which burned 4300 acres, 23 homes and killed 3 innocent people) conducted a presentation for our wonderful community at Conifer High School on Monday Oct. 29, 6:30-8:30.New information was shared that we now know that the LNFF was the 9th prescribed fire set in Lower North Fork in last 2 years that was part of an “Experiment”… Of the previous 8 fires set before our Fatal Fire in March… 5 of those Escaped. With this kind of history how could they have set this fire?Operations conducted to evaluate fire behavior under weather conditions and in masticated and untreated fuels “ – Dan Beveridge (CSFS, FEMO)Full Documentation here: http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2 … ttachG.pdfThe families have been asked so many times by the community, “What’s going on and how can we help?” The LNFF survivors feel that...
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Despite an “Independent Investigation” commissioned by the Governor and a separate Legislative Commission created to “investigate the causes of the LNFF to prevent the occurrence of a similar tragedy”, the State has not even reviewed their own documentation of the events that occurred and there have been NO substantive recommendations by any State agency to correct the glaring deficiencies in the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) prescribed burn procedures nor the undisciplined and unpardonable actions of the people responsible for the travesty. Despite our own tragic losses and enduring a continuing 6 month battle with the State to obtain assistance to begin the restoration of our properties and our lives, the Kuehster Road Homeowners obtained and reviewed the public documentation of the Wildfire and developed essential recommendations to protect our friends and neighbors in the Mountain Community. Unfortunately, our report and recommendations have been...
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