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December 18, 2013
75 cents | Volume 48, Issue 49 Tri-Lakes Region, Monument, Gleneagle, Black Forest and Northern El Paso County A publication of
tri-lakestribune.net
Group in need of donations
A LAND RICH WITH HERITAGE
Specific items are needed By Lisa Collacott
Manure spreader fronts this iconic barn on Black Forest Road and stands out as a reminder of of the forest’s agricultural heritage as it wrestles with the after effects of the devastating fire. Photo by Rob Carrigan
During the holidays people think about others less fortunate and will pick up extra gifts and groceries to donate to those in need. But this holiday season food and toiletry donations are down at Tri-Lakes Cares. “Our pantry is very dangerously low right now,” Haley Chapin, executive director of TLC said. Chapin said all items are needed but what the food pantry really could use right now is gluten-free food items. Chapin said they don’t get many gluten-free items and there is a need for them as they have many clients on dietary restrictions and can’t have gluten. Another item that is needed is powdered laundry detergent. TLC prefers to have powdered detergent over liquid because they are able to divide it and put it in plastic bags and give it to several clients. “We try to be good stewards of donations brought it,” Chapin said. Toilet paper is needed as well because those clients who receive food stamps cannot use them for non-food items. TLC is also in need of canned meat such as beef stew, chili, chicken and tuna. Chapin said after the Black Forest Fire, TLC stepped in to help the families affected by the fire. However the pantry has taken a huge hit because of this and it has affected their normal clientele. “As of Dec. 31 we will no longer be able to give to Black Forest families from our food pantry,” Chapin said. Chapin did add that if someone brings a donation in specifically for Black Forest families TLC will honor the donor’s wishes.
Sheriff disputes Black Forest Fire District claims Concern remains whether fire intentionally set By Staff report El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa takes aim at recent information released by the Black Forest Fire District. On Dec. 10, the district released information to the media naming the investigator they hired to conduct the inquiry into the initial response of their fire department to the Black Forest fire, a release provided by the sheriff’s office said. Moreover, in an effort to clarify response times, the board has verified a sequence of events that indicates the fire was first located at 1:45 p.m. that afternoon. Black Forest and Wescott fire districts were on scene at 1:47 p.m., with Colorado Springs units arriving at 1:51 p.m. The POSTAL ADDRESS
fire was out of control at 2:18 p.m. erupting into a fire storm with a 200-foot flame front. The state took control of operations at 3:10 p.m. Scott Campbell, El Paso County’s Deputy Fire Marshal, was appointed the Type 3 Incident Commander at that time. In this capacity he was working for the state, and not for El Paso County. It is this sequence of events Maketa that is in dispute, among other issues. The sheriff’s office provided a document called the “The Assumption of Control,” which identifies when management of the fire was passed from El Paso County to the state; this occurred at 5:20 p.m. on June 11, according the material. “A handwritten Delegation of Authority authored by State Fire Management Officer Brenda Wasielewski delegating command
of the fire to Scott Campbell as the Type 3 Incident Commander. The document was signed at 8:23 p.m. on June 11, 2013; a sizeable discrepancy from the 3:10 p.m. time the fire district’s timeline asserts. Furthermore, if their timeline were accurate, it still demonstrates Chief Harvey elected to maintain control of the fire for 52 minutes after they describe the fire as being out of control, erupting into a fire storm with a 200 foot flame,” Maketa said. “I’ve provided and the facts they describe can be supported by eyewitness accounts as well as electronically captured information in our Computer Aided Dispatch System.” A concern which remains unanswered, and is not the focus of the inquiry launched by the fire board, concerns Harvey’s comments made on Nov. 20, where he stated his investigation into the cause of the Black Forest fire had determine the fire was “intentionally” set. Since that time, he has offered no context or investigative data which
supports his claim. The inquiry is narrow in scope and only addresses Harvey’s initial response and management of the fire, not any alleged investigation he conducted in the weeks and months that followed or his inappropriate claim about the cause of the fire, reports said. “For those matters being addressed by the investigator who has been hired by the board, I will be more than willing to provide any data pertinent to his inquiry, as long as it does not jeopardize our ongoing investigation. Our investigation remains active and we are making progress. Once factual and evidence-supported conclusions have been reached concerning the cause of the Black Forest Fire, the information will be provided to the public immediately. We are working aggressively on our Black Forest Fire After Action Report which will include a timeline of events which can be supported by documentation and electronic time stamps; we expect to release the report in the first quarter of 2014,” the sheriff said.
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