A Colorado-based hunting outfitter has agreed to cough up half a million dollars to settle allegations over its part in the ignition of a wildfire that scorched 850 acres in Ouray County. Jackson Outfitters, LLC, situated in Placerville, will make the payment in response to the 2019 Cow Creek Fire, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.
The fire is said to have kicked off from a wood-burning stove inside a wall tent at Green Mountain Camp, run by Cow Creek Outfitters, an affiliate of Jackson Outfitters. This camp was, at the time, housing a self-guided elk hunting party. Jackson Outfitters holds a Special Use Permit for its operations on National Forest land, which includes a clear responsibility to protect the land, and U.S. interests from potential damages, like those incurred from fire suppression efforts.
According to the allegations, improperly extinguished embers or other material from the stovepipe set the nearby vegetation ablaze. Despite a swift response, the Cow Creek Fire ravaged National Forest System lands, leading to significant suppression costs for the United States. Officials insisted that Jackson Outfitters' failure to fit the stove with a proper spark arrestor directly breached its obligations under the permit to prevent such accidents.
Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell mentioned in correspondence, "Outfitters must ensure that the equipment they use in National Forests is safe and protects public lands for all of us." He also appreciated that the resolution was cooperative and that it "reimburses the United States for costs incurred in fighting the fire," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
