The settlement agreement was not an admission of liability.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that John Wesson and Dwight Allen reached a settlement with the Department of Justice and the Forest Service concerning expenses the government incurred for suppressing the 2003 Alta Fire in the Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre National Forest.
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According to the news release, Wesson and Allen were on National Forest land in San Miguel County July 10, 2003, when they reportedly passed around a lit cigarette lighter in violation of a fire ban. The Forest Service claimed the lighter ignited aspen cotton fluff that was floating in the air, which then blew up into the Alta Fire four miles south of Telluride.
“Fire bans are not issued frivolously by government agencies,” Jackie Parks, USFS Rocky Mountain Region Acting Deputy Regional Forester said in the news release.
“As we have seen previously in our region, failure to observe these bans can have devastating impacts and result in high suppression costs. I am pleased that we have been able to recoup some of these taxpayer costs.”
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