CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (AP) — State prosecutors say a former Forest Service employee who started Colorado's largest wildfire owes $27.5 million to residents who lost their homes or suffered other damage.
A state judge ordered Terry Barton to pay restitution after she pleaded guilty in March to an arson charge in the 137,000-acre fire, which destroyed 133 homes and a business last summer. Prosecutors submitted the dollar amount Monday, District Attorney Jeanne Smith said.
Prosecutors acknowledged it is unlikely Barton will be able to pay restitution but said they want to preserve the possibility in case she becomes wealthy in the future.