Raging Colorado Wildfire threatens historic sites
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Colorado Wildfire threatens historic sites*
12 Jun 2008 20:21:26 GMT
Source: Reuters
DENVER, June 16 (Reuters) - A lightning-sparked wildfire has blackened
20,000 acres (8,094 hectares) in southeastern Colorado, and was
threatening archeological sites in a national forest, officials said on
Thursday.
The blaze has burned through tinder-dry juniper and pinon trees into the
canyons of the Comanche National Grassland, the site of numerous
historic artifacts, including American Indian rock art, dinosaur tracks
and early American ranches.
"The fire could alter the area if it burns the vegetation and subsequent
rains erode the sites," said Steve Segin, spokesman for the U.S. Forest
Service.
Segin said about 130 firefighters are battling the blaze from the ground
and the air. Gusty winds and low humidity have created "extreme fire
conditions with very active fire behavior," he said.
The fire started on Wednesday on the Pinyon Canyon Maneuver Site, a
training ground for the U.S. Army about 175 miles (281.6 km) southeast
of Denver, said Capt. Gregory Dorman, spokesman for nearby Fort Carson.
No structures have burned and no injuries have been reported, but the
fire is zero percent contained, he said.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman, editing by Dan Whitcomb and Sandra Maler)