OH NO!!! For those of us living in Denver and Colorado Springs, our local mountain riding area has just been CLOSED due to some CARELESS CAMPER who didn't follow our FIRE BAN laws!!! From what I hear, the closure could be ALL SUMMER LONG! This is such a sad day to have our riding area closed and to have this fire raging out of control!!!

It is always a few idiots who ruin for everyone else! I sure hope they find these people and prosecute them. Not only is the forest closed and buring out of control, but thousands of people are being evacuated, buildings have burned and hundreds of fire fighters and others trying to contain the fire. Millions of dollars will be spent and millions of dollars of damage caused all because some person(s) wanted to have a campfire. It is obvious we are in the middle of a drought and there are numerous signs/warnings that let people know that fires have been banned. I just don't understand how someone could be so stupid...Whoever did this should go to jail and pay for the damage/expense they have caused everyone else.

You guys beat me to the punch! I can't believe it! Some dumba$$ started an illegal campfire. Aside from the fact that Pike National Forest is closed for the rest of the summer (almost guaranteed), alot of people will lose their homes. This really annoys me.

I had plans to go camping near Gunnison in a couple of weeks and the Spodefest was late July/Early August. Ahhhhhhh.

I'm heading back from camping in Desolation Wilderness (near Tahoe). I didn't even think about bringing even a LEGAL stove much less start a fire. That's why they make mummy sleeping bags!

Guess I'll have to take I-80 back since I-70 is closed (so I heard).

I-70 is open again so no worries there.

I work for the Dept. of Transportation (my guys post the messages on the big electronic message boards) we've been running messages since early May about the fire bans. You can't travel in Colorado without knowing that open fires are PROHIBITED!

We have over 100,000 acres burning across Colorado and I got a phone call from a vacationer yesterday chewing me out for "ruining his vacation" since he can't have a campfire! Idiot actually has the nerve to ask why there is a ban in San Isabel Nat'l forest when there are no fires there!

Even though there is a fireworks ban in place (any firework that leaves the ground or throws sparks are already outlawed) there will be some idot that heads to Wyoming and brings back some bottle rockets. This is only the beginning folks.

Rod

might want to come play in our mi. surgar sand. man it's got to be tough. I here it's drier than a pop corn fart, out west this year.

that fire is extremely huge and its so sad that all of those houses and all of the trees are going to be gone because of this dumb@$$.
I couldn't even see the stars last night over the mountains.

I feel bad for you guys, we fortunately have had alot of moisture this year. We have sent some guys over to help with what little some of the ground crews can do. Those are some big fires. The idiot that caused it should be forced to fight wild fires for the rest of their life

Pike National Forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands are closed for all uses in Douglas, Jefferson, Park, Teller, and El Paso Counties. Persons are prohibited from being on, or driving on any National Forest or BLM lands. Refer to Order No. 02-07, effective 12 AM MDT, June 10, 2002

Not to make light of such a serious issue, but are the environmentalists going to come out of the woodwork on this one? Can you see it? Environmentalists starting campaigns to ban campers from State Forests! Well, it's only right, isn't it? I mean, look at all the poor birds and animals flushed out of their homes, and all the damaged wildlife! Not gonna happen with these hypocrites. But ONE camper managed to start and cause more damage than ANY dirtbike group could ever conceive of...