DENVER -- The former U.S. Forest Service employee who started the worst wildfire in Colorado's recorded history said she was "emotionally amiss" when she burned a letter blamed for igniting the blaze.

Terry Lynn Barton testified Friday in a lawsuit brought by insurance companies that want the federal government to cover about $7 million they paid out in claims from the 2002 Hayman fire.

Barton pleaded guilty to state and federal arson charges and served six years in prison. She was released in June.

Barton said the letter she burned in a campground was from her estranged husband, apologizing to her and asking to stay with her.

She added, "I had to get on with my life. I had to have this relationship over."

However, in testimony earlier this week, the two lead investigators on the fire said they don't believe Barton's account of how the blaze began. Both agents Kim Jones and Paul Steensland testified this week they don't believe a letter started the blaze, as Barton had said in her plea agreement.

In June of 2002, it took arson investigators just minutes to identify a campground in Teller County as the starting point of the fire. They discovered three matches inside a fire ring and burned grass that led to the forest.

Steensland, who is a 38-year Forest Service veteran, testified that he doesn't believe there ever was a letter. He said no burned paper ashes were ever found. He told the court that Barton's timeline was never feasible.

Both agents argued that Barton started the fire so she could put it out and be hailed the "hero." The two also maintain Barton rearranged the fire pit to allow flames to escape.

However, on Friday, Barton stuck to her story. She was on the stand for about an hour answering questions from both the plaintiffs and the defense.

When asked if she started the fire deliberately so she could be a hero, she said, "Absolutely not."

The plaintiffs in the case argue that the Forest Service was negligent. They argue that if Barton had been properly trained as a Forest Service employee and known what to do when the fire broke out, it wouldn't have gotten so far out of control.

The fire blackened 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes and forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate.

Closing arguments in the civil case are expected to wrap up Friday afternoon. The judge will decide if there is merit to the plaintiff's claim.

Barton left the courtroom Friday morning without speaking to reporters. She was the last witness in the case.

The plaintiffs and the government have 10 days to submit more paperwork and then Judge Wiley Daniel will issue a verdict from the bench.