{"id":95064,"date":"2019-03-19T19:07:39","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T01:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/416-fire-investigation-taking-longer-than-expected-forest-service-says\/"},"modified":"2019-03-19T19:07:39","modified_gmt":"2019-03-20T01:07:39","slug":"416-fire-investigation-taking-longer-than-expected-forest-service-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/416-fire-investigation-taking-longer-than-expected-forest-service-says\/","title":{"rendered":"416 Fire investigation taking \u2018longer than expected,\u2019 Forest Service says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The U.S. Forest Service says the investigation into cause of the 416 Fire, which started June 1, 2018, has been delayed.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The investigation into the cause of the 416 Fire is taking \u201clonger than expected,\u201d a spokeswoman with the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Denise Alonzo, who recently took on the job of spokesperson for the San Juan National Forest, said the complexity of the investigation, as well as the 35-day government shutdown earlier this year, has delayed Forest Service officials from releasing a final determination.<\/p>\n

The Forest Service had previously said a cause would be released in late fall or early winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings just haven\u2019t happened as timely as they were expected to,\u201d Alonzo said. \u201cAs soon as we understand the final determination of the cause, that information will be released. Until then, we don\u2019t have anything else to share.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 416 Fire broke out June 1 and burned an estimated 54,000 acres north of Durango, forced thousands of evacuations and caused economic loss to some business and government sectors of Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n

Ever since, residents have waited<\/a> for a final conclusion about what caused the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big question over the last year is the 416 Fire investigation,\u201d La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt told Forest Service staff at a meeting Tuesday. \u201cAll tied up in politics sounds like to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth Anderson, the Forest Service\u2019s acting Columbine District ranger, said there is no behind-the-scenes politics at play holding up the release of the fire\u2019s cause. She said attorneys at the Forest Service\u2019s Office of General Counsel are still at work investigating.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investigation is still pending, it\u2019s not complete,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, the department now in control of the investigation, wrote in an email late Tuesday to The Durango Herald<\/em> that he was unable to comment until Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, it had been 291 days since the 416 Fire started.<\/p>\n

Lachelt said causes have been determined for most other major fires that occurred last summer. She said it is important for the community to know what caused the 416 Fire so it can be better prepared for the upcoming fire season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hearing the cause of all these other investigations as those fires were burning \u2026 yet we still don\u2019t have ours,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 This isn\u2019t cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a federal wildfire information database, the location of the start of the 416 Fire was just west of train tracks for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, about 10 miles north of Durango.<\/p>\n

A previous story in the Herald<\/a> talked to several residents in the Meadowridge subdivision who said they saw wisps of smoke up the hillside around 9:45 a.m. June 1, moments after a train passed by.<\/p>\n

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