Holy Dear Jane Letters Batman!

“By JENNIFER HAMILTON
.c The Associated Press

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (June 16) - A U.S. Forest Service employee set the fire that scorched more than 100,000 acres in Colorado and forced thousands to evacuate by burning a letter from her estranged husband in the Pike National Forest, authorities said Sunday.

Forestry technician Terry Barton, 38, admitted starting the fire while patrolling the forest to enforce a fire ban, said assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Leone.

She was charged with setting fire to timber in the national forest, damaging federal property and making false statements to investigators, Leone said.

Barton said she started burning the letter from her estranged husband within a designated campfire ring, where fires normally would be allowed, then tried to put out the blaze.

''She attempted to suppress the fire but it grew,'' Leone said.

Barton initially told authorities she discovered an illegal campfire and had tried to put it out by throwing dirt on it, but it was too late. An investigation led the Forest Service to doubt her story, Leone said.

If convicted, Barton could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. She was arrested Sunday morning; it was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney.

She was scheduled to make an initial court appearance in federal court Monday.

''I want to begin by saying, this is one of the hardest announcements I've had to make in my career,'' said Rick Cables, regional forester for the Rocky Mountain Region for the U.S. Forest Service.

''I'm shocked and with a lot of other people, in a state of disbelief,'' Cables said. ''I'm saddened to say that one of our employees has admitted to starting the Hayman fire.''

Firefighters gained ground Sunday on the blaze, which has burned within 40 miles of Denver city limits since it was started June 8, threatening southwestern suburbs and destroying at least 22 homes.

With the blaze about 35 percent contained, about 5,400 people remained out of their homes. It was one of seven fires burning in the state Sunday.

''Hopefully, this fire is going to now stay essentially where it is at,'' said Bobby Kitchens, a fire information officer. ''We don't expect to see any more significant acreage gains.''

Sheriff's deputies escorted some residents to retrieve belongings and assess damage, but didn't allow them to stay. Frustrated residents waited at the command post, trying to learn when they'll be able to return for good.

''It started to get to be a long period because one of the big things is I don't like eating out. I miss cooking at home,'' said Bob James, 46, who has been out of his home north of Lake George since Tuesday.

Another blaze flared in southwest Colorado and forced the evacuation of more than 330 homes. The latest fire had burned more than 20,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest by Sunday morning.

In addition to the evacuations, residents of 450 homes were told to be ready to leave. One cabin was destroyed, and fire managers were trying to determine whether others had burned.

More than 900 firefighters battled the blaze, about 10 miles north of Durango.

In California, 200 residents and campers returned home after fleeing a fire that burned 3,500 acres and destroyed five homes Saturday about 30 miles northeast of Bakersfield.

Higher humidity and slightly cooler temperatures also helped crews battling fires in northern New Mexico. The state's largest blaze, which has blackened 92,500 acres on the Philmont Scout Ranch, was 75 percent contained and full containment is expected Wednesday.”

“ped, i saw this story too....what the hell? did she start it on purpose? i dont get it. and why in the heck did she confess? i bet she's blonde!


hey, you copy pasted that! lol!”

“lol Strat! (but you'll see that I included the citations, Associated Press and the byline)...

This could be a story that rivals Mrs. Brown's (or whomever's)cow that supposedly kicked over the lantern and started the Chicago Fire.”

“It was Ms. O'Leary's cow, in Chicago. And some people are trying to disprove it. Some people have no respect for legends!”

“Burning a letter from her ex might constitute grounds for temporary insanity.
Having been through the experience once or twice of getting a letter from the old ex, I can safely assert that it is a major miracle that I didn't burn something down, blow something up, or cause bodily injury to someone or myself.
Letters from the ex have a way of fomenting explosive behavior.
I'm sure she did try to put it out until it was out of control.”

“For the life of me I can't understand how burning a letter in a fire ring could start a forest fire - even if she threw on a few branches and some white gas. Something tells me there is more to the story.”

“NPR left me with the same impression this morning. A letter?”

“Smells fishy to me too violin. Kind of like passing out after eating a pretzel....”

“very bizarre indeed! what were they implying on NPR? it doesn't really bode well for her that she already lied about it once. if she really did accidentally start it by burning a letter, imagine having to admit that! how awful...”

“WHAT?!?!?! Imagine actually doing that. How idiotic! No sympathy here.”

“I'm guessing if it was a letter from her ex she probably used a few gallons of accelerant and a few pyrotechnic devices, plus a lot of wood.
Then she sat there chanting, "Burn in hell you SOB, burn!"
That's what I'd have done!”

“Well, the embers from burning paper float better than a hot air balloon and if there was any kind of breeze...but if there was any kind of a breeze what was she doing lighting even the smallest of fires under those tinderbox conditions...

I'd like to find out why she was burning that letter out of the woods instead of at home in an ashtray or her kitchen sink. If that is indeed how the fire really started.”

“Well there's no point burning your house down because you got dumped. The forest is less personal!
Except for us furry critters, that is.”

“well, like Violin said, it seems sort of crazy that it could've started that way, only by burning a letter. it's not that i have sympathy for her per se, and i'm not saying she's a rocket scientist (assuming she's telling the truth now), but that totally seems like something that would happen to me...something totally awful and impossible and ironic.”

“Yeah, it's so much better to look like a complete moron in front of the whole world instead of just in front of your neighbors.”

“How unfortunate that you and I should submit at nearly the same time lyra! Of course you know that I was commenting on Geobeet's post not yours, right?”

“I'm just waiting for some whacko to blame it on her ex....”

“hiya, skully! :-) i know...


it's all her ex's fault!!!!”

“He should never have written that letter in the first place!”

“Catherine O'Leary claims the fire was started when her renters took a lantern to her barn to borrow some milk for a party...

I played Ms. O'Leary (Irish accent and all) in a production of Women of Note and Notoriety when I was a wee bit younger. It was quite a story!

"Me name is Catherine O'Leary. That is, me name became O'Leary when I married Patrick."

LOL at myself. Can't believe I remember the first line still!

ANYWAY... It does seem strange that one letter can start such a fire. I wonder how many pages?”

“I knew I could count on y'all!”

“I doubt there really was a lot of reason running through her mind. All of us do dumb things, but some dumb things have greater consequences than others.
"What the h3ll was she thinking?" implies that she was thinking, which she clearly was not.”

“Maybe she was doing some Pagan Worship ritual! She found one of lyra's monuments out there or something.”

“psshhhht! that's right, blame it aaalllll on the devil-worshipers, or "pagans" as you new-age freaks would have it. we just can't catch a break!”

“Catch a break? On this board? Dream on!”

“Here's a possible scenario.

"That SOB." Sob, sob. "I wish he'd just piss off." Sob, Sob. "I'm just gonna fire up this doobie I've had in my pocket and forget all about it."

FFFFffffffffff....

(A few minutes later)

"That's better. NOw I'm gonna burn his letter. Hey wait. Where'd that lit joint go? OOooooohhhh Sheeeeyat...."”

“LOL!!!!”

“Mebbe she was burning an eight foot cross....”

“Maybe her Ex was on it!”

“Maybe she was burning her ex?!”

“Her ex would not have survived long enough to get to the fire pit.”

“maybe she used duct tape to secure her ex to the cross, wonder what other ideas we can use duct tape for......hmmmm Skullcap any ideas”

“Sounds like a question for that great Canadian guru of duck tape, Red Green (Yea!).”

“Nah, skully is the local duct tape expert. Apparently she has come up with some really creative uses on previous ECT trips.”

“Proof positive that a little joke on TT can get out of hand faster than a burning love letter in a dry Colorado forest!



Moooowaaaaaaaah! Love you all! Now get back to work.”

“Yeah, but our jokes do less damage.”

“Burning Dear Jane letter?

Choke on a pretzel and pass out?

I don't think I believe either. But in the end, it doesn't matter.

The forests are going to burn, method of ignition is only a small matter. If not from a burning dear jane letter, then a lightning strike or whatever.”

“True enough LDH, and that's what happens when the tinder and duff build up. Only problem is the homes that go up in the process, although one could argue the case that if you build in the forest, that's the risk you take, just as those who build beach front homes along hurricane alley take risks.”

“This fire nearly drained the federal fire suppression budget. You'll be happy to know that your tax dollars are saving those expensive homes and pumping up Western state's local economies!”

“Well shoot, that makes me want to pay more taxes. Can we have a hurricane now too and buy some beach front homes while we're at it?”

“A U.S. Forest Service technician accused of starting the largest wildfire in Colorado history while burning a letter from her estranged husband appeared in court in handcuffs and was ordered held without bail.”

“Better put a suicide watch on her...I would kill myself if I frigging burned down so much trees, probably kill alot of critters that couldn't get away, and destroyed so many homes...plus the embarrassment. Eeek”

“Obviously the bimbo is as dumb as a stump. I'd a dumped her too! good thing he got rid of her before she did her latest act of stupidity. At least he doesn't have to walk down the same streets with her.

He's a hero!

Rejoice HMWHC members!”

“I resent that!

Stump”

“Pardon the pun. hehe”

“One of the reasons the judge gave for denying her bail is that "she would return to a community in which there is considerable hostility towards her".”

“Ya don't say?”

“Well we now know why he dumped her”

“I say hang her!

8)”

“OK now that everyone has had thier say..tell the truth ..have you ever had a fire get a little scary and counted yourself lucky to have got it under control? I Have!”