| Hayman Fire | |
|---|---|
 The Hayman Fire (brown area in center of image), between the Kenosha Mountains (upper left) and Pikes Peak (lower right) | |
| Date(s) | June 8 - July 18, 2002 |
| Location | Douglas, Jefferson, Park, and Teller counties, Colorado |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 138,114 acres (558.93 km2)[1] |
| Land use | forest, rural |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 6 |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | arson |
| Perpetrator(s) | Terry Barton |
The Hayman Fire was a forest fire started on June 8, 2002, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado and 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Denver, Colorado and was, for 18 years, the largest wildfire in the state's recorded history at over 138,114 acres.
Hundreds of firefighters fought the fast-moving fire, which caused nearly $40 million in firefighting costs, burned 133 homes, 138,114 acres, and forced the evacuation of 5,340 people.
Smoke could be seen and smelled across the state from Vail, 55 miles (89 km) northwest, to Burlington, 188 miles (303 km) east, and from Broomfield, 50 miles (80 km) north, to Walsenburg, 130 miles (210 km) south.
The Hayman Fire burned from June 8, until it was classified as contained on June 28, 2002.[2] The cause of the wildfire was found to be arson.[3]
When then-Governor Bill Owens responded to a reporter's question following an aerial tour of the fires ("What does it look like up there?"), Owens said "It looks as if all of Colorado is burning today."[4] Many western slope residents blamed Owens for driving away tourists with the press' truncated version of the quote ("All of Colorado is burning.")[5] The Hayman Fire was named for a mining ghost town near Tappan Gulch.[6]
- ^ Graham, Russell T., ed. (2003). Hayman Fire Case Study. General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-114. Ogden, UT: U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station.
- ^ "Hayman Fire Incident Information" (PDF). fs.fed.us. 2003-09-20. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ "Legal Troubles Not Over For Terry Barton". TheDenverChannel.com. 2002-12-11. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
- ^ "Fears May Be Outpacing Reality in Colorado Fires". New York Times. 2002-06-16. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ "The backcountry business". Summit Daily News. 2003-08-06. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ Huspeni, Dennis (2008-03-28). "Hayman fire-starter resentenced". Gazette.com. Retrieved 2012-06-27.