Wildfire - The Durango Herald

Pilot death is second amid late season wildfires in Rockies

DENVER – Authorities on Wednesday were investigating the death of a pilot who crashed while fighting a wildfire near Rocky Mountain National Park at night, the second person to die amid wind...

DATE: Nov 17, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Fire drill proves to be good practice for next generation of wildland firefighters

Outdoor workshop breaks down issues around fuels, topography and weather

DATE: Nov 17, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango and Montrose interagency wildfire dispatch centers could close down

Proposal recommends consolidation from six dispatch centers to three in Colorado

DATE: Nov 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado doesn’t have a statewide building code. Would enacting one help protect homes against wildfire?

A handful of state lawmakers are interested in the idea, in part to secure more federal dollars

DATE: Oct 25, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango receives funding to do wildfire mitigation around neighborhoods that border overgrown wildlands

$146,000 grant will help reduce fire risk near residential structures

DATE: Oct 18, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

In high-risk Southwest Colorado, fire chiefs point to wildfire areas of concern

Interactive maps help residents see address-by-address where mitigation is needed

DATE: Sep 20, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Ice Lakes Trail near Silverton to reopen after last year’s wildfire

San Juan National Forest crews cleared more than 5 miles of debris

DATE: Sep 14, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Longer wildfire seasons lead to burnout among Southwest Colorado firefighters

Blazes start in April and extend through November: ‘We’re all missing our kids’ birthdays’

DATE: Sep 13, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bennet says legislation could help fund fire mitigation efforts in Durango

Senator discusses potential benefit of Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act for Southwest Colorado

DATE: Sep 8, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Forced medication approved for wildfire suspect, lawyers say

DENVER – A judge has approved the forced medication of a mentally ill Danish man accused of starting a wildfire that burned 149 homes in Colorado in 2018, lawyers said Wednesday. The develop...

DATE: Sep 8, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Federal investment in forests could spur jobs, reduce wildfires and clear the air, Bennet says

Senator promotes $60 billion Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act in tour around Colorado

DATE: Sep 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

At LPEA and Empire Electric, wildfires are front and center

California blazes put a focus on utilities’ exposure to losses during blazes

DATE: Sep 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Photos: People’s MarchAbout 300 people take to the street on Saturday in Durango

About 300 people take to the street on Saturday in Durango

Photos: Fort Lewis College basketballWomen’s and men’s basketball teams take on South Dakota Mines

Women’s and men’s basketball teams take on South Dakota Mines

Photos: Wrestling at Durango High SchoolDurango High School boys wrestling beat Bayfield High School Tuesday night

Durango High School boys wrestling beat Bayfield High School Tuesday night

Photos: Where there's smoke there's firefightersDurango firefighters take advantage of the old River City Hall building for training

Durango firefighters take advantage of the old River City Hall building for training

Photos: Durango plays Montezuma-Cortez in boys, girls high school basketballDurango girls and boys basketball teams defeat Montezuma-Cortez at DHS

Durango girls and boys basketball teams defeat Montezuma-Cortez at DHS

Year in photos: A look back at Southwest Colorado in 2024Each year brings some of the new and some of the old – breaking news and cherished traditions. It is the people, their emotions, different cultures and varied forms of entertainment that make for impactful images. Add to that Southwest Colorado’s gorgeous scenery, abundant wildlife and range of weather events, and you have the makings for stunning photos. We hope you enjoy Photo Editor Jerry McBride’s photos from 2024.

Each year brings some of the new and some of the old – breaking news and cherished traditions. It is...

Montezuma County DA Christian Hatfield charged with DWICharges come 16 weeks after crash near Farmington, New MexicoMontezuma County District Attorney Christian Hatfield was charged Friday with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs 16 weeks after he crashed his SUV on U.S. Highway 64 outside Bloomfield.The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office charged Hatfield, 59, with petty misdemeanor charge of DWI and an open container in connection to the Aug. 30 single-car crash.The charges come after results from a blood test by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory showed alcohol and a drug in Hatfield’s body after the crash.

“The results show that at the time of the blood draw, which was approximately eleven hours after the time of the crash due to medical issues, were 0.05 g/100 ml of Ethanol and 0.04 mg/L of Zolpidem (Ambien). Both Ethanol and Ambien are Central Nervous System Depressants,” the law enforcement report states.Two vials of blood were taken from Hatfield at 1:33 p.m. Aug. 30, which was more than 12 hours after the crash occurred about 1 a.m. Those vials were received by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory at 10:26 a.m. Oct. 11, which was six weeks after the crash, according to records from the lab.An investigation into the blood warrant by The Journal newspaper in Cortez, Colorado, showed that the blood sample sat in a refrigerator at the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office until Oct. 3, because paperwork to send it to the state laboratory was not processed.“I think it’s a non-prosecutable case because of all the errors made by law enforcement,” said Arlon Stoker, a high-profile defense attorney secured by Hatfield to fight the charges.

The charges made by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office are “based on the observations made by law enforcement officers on scene and the presence of intoxicating drugs and liquors in Christian's blood,” according to the report that was given to The Journal by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.Amanda Lavin, legal director for NMFOG, assisted The Journal in accessing public records from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Aztec. The records had been redacted, leaving out Hatfield’s name and information about the blood warrant filed in San Juan County Magistrate Court.Public records requests by The Journal and the Tri-City Record went unresolved for 14 weeks.The Journal requested body camera footage and lapel camera video on Sept. 3.The Tri-City Record requested any and all warrants, investigative reports and laboratory reports as well as photos, lapel cam videos and dash cam videos on Oct. 23.On Dec. 9, Lavin made the same requests.

The Journal received access to photos and videos in an email on Dec. 19, and Lavin, after making a legal argument for unredacted information, received the full report Dec. 19 and was advised that charges would be forthcoming.The report detailing the crash states that Hatfield was found “unresponsive and barely able to stand” about 1 a.m. Aug. 30 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and County Road 5099.Investigators and medics noted a “pungent” odor of alcohol coming from Hatfield, and investigators found “an open 12-ounce can of Mexican Lager with residual liquid inside,” an “empty wine glass,” and a “bottle of Ambien prescribed to Christian,” according to the report.The affidavit for search warrant for blood submitted by sheriff’s deputy Avery Killifer states he had an “opinion that the defendant was driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance.” The deputy “placed the defendant under arrest” at the time, but Hatfield was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center, because of “extensive injuries.”A summons was issued for Hatfield, and an arraignment is set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 8 in Aztec Magistrate Court.

Charges come 16 weeks after crash near Farmington, New Mexico

Photos: Wreaths Across America honors fallen veteransDurango residents on Saturday honor those who served their country

Durango residents on Saturday honor those who served their country

Photos: Skyhawks men’s and women’s basketball Fort Lewis College men’s and women’s basketball lost to Regis on Saturday

Fort Lewis College men’s and women’s basketball lost to Regis on Saturday

Demons defeat Bobcats 62-47 on Friday at DHS

Pilot death is second amid late season wildfires in Rockies

Fire drill proves to be good practice for next generation of wildland firefighters

Durango and Montrose interagency wildfire dispatch centers could close down

Colorado doesn’t have a statewide building code. Would enacting one help protect homes against wildfire?

Durango receives funding to do wildfire mitigation around neighborhoods that border overgrown wildlands

In high-risk Southwest Colorado, fire chiefs point to wildfire areas of concern

Ice Lakes Trail near Silverton to reopen after last year’s wildfire

Longer wildfire seasons lead to burnout among Southwest Colorado firefighters

Bennet says legislation could help fund fire mitigation efforts in Durango

Forced medication approved for wildfire suspect, lawyers say

Federal investment in forests could spur jobs, reduce wildfires and clear the air, Bennet says

At LPEA and Empire Electric, wildfires are front and center

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