The great tragedy of this epic conflagration is that it was started by a single person, a person whose motivation remains a mystery to this day. Terry Barton was, of all things, a Federal Forestry Worker with 18 years experience. Originally, she had tried to pin the fire on a passing camper, then changed her story that she was burning a letter from her ex-husband that got out of control. In the end, investigators concluded there was no letter and that she had created the fire to put it out--in other words, to seem like a hero.
All this is speculation of course, only she truly knows how the great fire came to be--or to put it more poetically, what emotional tinder ignited the blaze. Regardless of how it began, the end result was Terry Barton serving 6-12 years in federal prison and legally (though I don't know how they impose this) owing the government 14.7 million dollars.
So the question is, is she a sympathetic figure? While her ticky-tack explanations for starting the fire leave much to be desired, one would hope her intention was not to burn a good chunk of Colorado for fun. Or maybe it was? Maybe there was something hypnotic and perverse, some vision of raging fire that tipped the balance of judgement in her head.
The reason I ponder all this is because 2009 is an atmospheric contrast to 2002. It's been rainy--as rainy as I've seen it out here--and the land is green, lush and colorful. The dancing flames and scorched earth are now distant memories. Many folks out here would not recognize the name Terry Barton.
No real conclusions here, just thoughts. It's wild how nature is so quick to heal, to replenish and resurrect itself. Trees that were given life in the wake of the great fire will be a good six feet tall when Terry Barton is released from prison. And soon enough, there will be another dry season and it will all play out again, regardless of triggered by human hand or force of nature.
