EVERGREEN, Colo. -- Evergreen firefighters have been told to let an entire Clear Creek County subdivision burn if a forest fire hits it, and some homeowners want to know why.

Residents living in the thick of the Arapahoe National Forest are seeing red over the policy.

"I don't know if that's fair or not," said resident Jeffrey Fank.

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Sean McLaughlin Reports On Red-Tagged Homes.

Fanks' home has been red-tagged.

"It means the home is undefendable," said Evergreen Fire Department Deputy Chief Mark Davidson.

In fact, Evergreen fire officials have red tagged the entire Brook Forest subdivision -- meaning firefighters wouldn't even try to save the homes from a forest fire.

"I've really worked hard at trying to thin these trees away and rake everything back to make it more fireproof," said resident Brian Carney.

That's what mountain homeowners are supposed to do, but officials say the subdivision as a whole has too many thick trees that are too close to the homes, making the houses more flammable.

And the roads up the mountain are too narrow and tricky for fire crews, firefighters said.

"There's only one way in and out of that subdivision, so there's no backdoor escape route for the crews," said Davidson.

Some residents understand.

"As you can see, there are a lot of trees and it would only take five minutes for the place to go up," Carney said.

But he said it's worth the risk living in the mountains.

"It's the chance you have to take. It's beautiful country," Carney said.

If you would like information about how to make your home more defensible from fire, contact the State Forest Service or check out the Firewise Web site.