For Immediate Release: January 15, 2008
Contact: Mel Lloyd BLM 970-244-3097

Settlement reached in 2005 Mee Canyon Fire

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — On May 27, 2005, conditions were tinder dry with the start of another busy holiday weekend in western Colorado. That same day, interagency firefighters responded to a wildfire near the mouth of Mee Canyon, located in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness of the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA). When finally controlled, the Mee Canyon Fire had consumed 58 acres along the Ruby-Horsethief Section of the Colorado River. A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination Team identified an escaped campfire as the cause.

On December 31, 2007, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado, on behalf of the BLM, reached a civil settlement agreement with Richard and Tracie Hulbert of Fairplay, Colorado. The United States alleges that the Hulbert’s campfire escaped and ignited the wildfire, forcing them and other campers to flee the area. The Hulberts denied any liability and responsibility for starting the fire but agreed to pay the United States $45,000 for reimbursement of suppression and rehabilitation costs associated with the fire to avoid the risk of litigation.

 “Valuable wildlife habitat, including a large cottonwood gallery, and popular campsites were destroyed as a result of the blaze,” said Tim Foley, West Zone Fire Management Officer with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit. “It’s important to know that members of the public are responsible for their campfires.”

As always, please familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations in place for your chosen destination point—they can and often do vary from one area to another. Visitors are reminded that the use of fire pans is required in the McInnis Canyons NCA. For additional information on your Colorado public lands, visit www.blm.gov/co. For information on boating in the McInnis Canyons NCA, go to www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/mcnca/recreation/boating.html or contact Park Ranger Troy Schnurr at (970) 244-3032.

-BLM-