Hayman Fire Approaching 10 Years
The Hayman Fire broke out on June 8, 2002. The fire scorched nearly 140,000 acres before it was contained on July 2, and brought under control on July 18.
?It?s not something we ever want to go through again. All through the twenty-something days the sky was lit up by fire, you could see it all the time,? said Chief Tyler Lambert of the Northeast Teller County Fire Protection District.
Lambert said he was one of the first responders after the fire was started.
?We always have the Hayman Fire in the back of our mind,? said Lambert.
A decade later, the burn scar is still easily seen from Douglas, Jefferson, Park and Teller counties.
There is evidence of improvement throughout the land as trees and plants are beginning to return.
?It?s definitely a good feeling that you see it coming back. Like all the other fires we?ve gone through, always see the growth coming back,? said Lambert.
Lambert told KRDO Newschannel 13 that after the fire was put out, trees were planted and grass was laid in an effort to reintroduce natural vegetation to the area.
Terry Barton pled guilty to starting the fire and was sentenced in 2008 to 15 years of probation.
