Related To Story HAYMAN FIRE Video: Barton Sticks To Story Video: Barton Called To Testify Video: Testimony: Burned Letter Didn't Start It Video: New Lawsuit Heard Video: Terry Barton Freed Video: Barton Talks To 7NEWS Video: Hayman Firestarter Won't Spend Any Prison Time In Colo. Slideshow: Viewer Pics Slideshow: Fire Explodes Slideshow: On Front Lines Slideshow: Dramatic Pics Slideshow: Deckers Area Discuss: How Can Wildfires Be Prevented? Survey: Forest Service Liable? |
Hayman Firestarter Free After Nearly 6 Years In Prison
Terry Barton Walks Out Of Federal Prison Monday
POSTED: 9:18 am MDT June 2,
2008
UPDATED: 6:23 pm MDT June 2,
2008
DENVER -- Terry Lynn Barton has been released from prison after serving a six-year term for starting the largest recorded wildfire in Colorado history. Federal prison officials in Fort Worth, Texas, said Barton was released Monday morning. Family members said she will be serving her probation in Colorado. She faces 15 years of state probation and four years of federal probation. Barton, 44, pleaded guilty to arson charges stemming from the 2002 Hayman Fire, which blackened 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes and forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate.
She was a fire spotter for the U.S. Forest Service at the time and originally claimed she had found an illegal campfire near Lake George, Colo., and tried to extinguish it. She later admitted setting the fire by burning a letter from her estranged husband in the designated fire pit.A total fire ban was in force at the time and Barton was supposed to be looking for illegal campfires. She was fired following her arrest.The fire, which started on June 8, quickly spread to nearby trees and grew rapidly, fueled by high winds and bone-dry conditions. The next day, it raced 17 miles in one day, making a beeline toward the southwestern Denver suburbs.About 42 percent of the burned acreage was on National Forest land. The fire was fully contained almost a month after it started.Barton has been ordered to pay $42.2 million in state and federal restitution toward the costs of fighting the fire. Her attorney did not immediately return a call.The 2002 fire season was one of the worst in the past 50 years, according to The Wilderness Society. By the end of the year, nearly 7.2 million acres in the United States were consumed in fires, costing $1 billion to fight.
Previous Stories:
- April 8, 2008: 130,000 Seedlings To Be Planted In Hayman Burn Area
- March 27, 2008: Hayman Firestarter Won't Spend Any Prison Time In Colo.
- July 16, 2007: Buffalo Creek, Hayman Fires Still Costing Denver Water Years Later
- June 8, 2007: Witnesses Remember Hayman Fire 5 Years Later
- April 4, 2007: Seedlings To Sprout Life In Hayman Fire Area
- February 27, 2007: Hayman Firestarter May Get New Trial
- July 9, 2006: Floods In Hayman Burn Area Prompt Disaster Declaration
- October 11, 2005: Court Won't Hear Appeal In Hayman Fire Case
- December 23, 2004: 'I Made A Mistake,' Hayman Firestarter Tells 7NEWS
- December 16, 2004: Prison Sentence Tossed Out For Hayman Firestarter
- June 8, 2004: Mountain Community Anxious On Anniversary Of Hayman Fire
- May 30, 2003: Flooding Hits Hayman Burn Area
- March 5, 2003: Barton Gets 12 Years For Hayman Fire
- February 21, 2003: Hayman Firestarter Gets 6 Years
- January 27, 2003: Hayman Firefighter Says He's Being Burned By System
- January 6, 2003: Terry Barton Pleads Guilty To State Charge
- December 11, 2002: Legal Troubles Not Over For Terry Barton
- December 7, 2002: Barton Pleads Guilty In Hayman Fire Case
- November 27, 2002: Hayman Fire Suspect Makes Plea Agreement
- September 16, 2002: Accused Hayman Arsonist To Leave Halfway House
- September 5, 2002: Judge Rules Barton's Confession Admissible
- August 30, 2002: U.S. Attorney Says Barton's Confession Valid
- August 1, 2002: Colorado Springs' Offer To Fight Hayman Fire Ignored
- July 26, 2002: Sister: Hayman Arson Suspect Didn't Mean To Set Fire
- July 12, 2002: Steps Taken To Protect Denver Water Supply
- July 4, 2002: Next Hayman Fire Worry: Flood
- July 2, 2002: Hayman Fire 100 Percent Contained
- June 27, 2002: Barton Bonds Out, Released From Jail
- June 25, 2002: More Dougco, Teller County Evacuations Lifted
- June 22, 2002: 114 Homes Destroyed; Fire Now 60 Percent Contained
- June 22, 2002: Prosecutors: Barton's Husband Never Wrote Any Letter
- June 22, 2002: Van Crash Kills 4 On Wildfire Crew
- June 20, 2002: Forestry Worker Pleads Innocent In Hayman Fire Case
- June 19, 2002: New Charges Filed Against Forestry Worker
- June 18, 2002: The Latest: Perry Park, Surrounding Areas Ordered To Evacuate
- June 17, 2002: More Evacuations Ordered As Hayman Grows
- June 16, 2002: Forestry Worker Arrested For Hayman Fire
- June 15, 2002: The Latest: Firefighters Gaining Upper Hand
- June 14, 2002: Fire Predicted To Reach 130,000 Acres
- June 13, 2002: The Latest: Voluntary Evacuations Eased
- June 12, 2002: The Latest: At Least 51 Homes Burned By Hayman Fire
- June 12, 2002: Fire Threatens Species, Disrupts Wildlife
- June 11, 2002: The Latest: Fire Now At 86,000 Acres
- June 10, 2002: Owens: Fire Expected To Reach 100,000 Acres
- June 9, 2002: Hayman Fire Estimated At 30,000 Acres
Copyright 2008 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.









