Lake Christine Fire

The fire started just before 6:00pm on July 3, 2018, at the Basalt Shooting Range. Fire personnel who reported from the scene noted that the ignition site of the explosive rounds was located on a hillside adjacent to the gun range, outside of the targeted shooting area. Criminality for the fire was officially assigned to Richard Karl Miller, 23, and Allison Sarah Marcus, 22, of the Maryland/ Washington DC area. They were in a group of people using tracer rounds at the rifle area of the range, located on the Southside of the shooting area. The Roaring Fork Valley, including Basalt, was under Stage 2 Fire Ban Restrictions, and was experiencing a record-year drought.

The gunmen originally faced multiple 4th degree felony arson charges, but all felony charges were later dropped.[2]

The pair were offered a deal by prosecutors to plea guilty to a single misdemeanor charge each. Eight felony charges were eliminated by the prosecution team. The owner of the firearm/ explosive ammunition was not charged with a crime.

Miller and Marcus were sentenced to 45 days in jail on a work release program, 1,500 hours of community service, and received a total $100,000 fine for restitution to the victims.[3]

Estimates put the firefighting costs for the government agencies involved in the range of $30 million USD.

Thousands of residents of the Carbondale, El Jebel, Basalt and Fryingpan Valley areas were evacuated from their homes on July 4th, 2018.

On September 4, 2018, the fire was downgraded to a Burned Area Response.

The fire destroyed the homes of five separate families in El Jebel and destroyed a historic family cabin on Basalt Mountain. The large landscape burn scar on Basalt Mountain threatened to produce mudslide activity nearby the community of El Jebel during the Spring of 2019. A community meeting was held to inform local residents of the future dangers of the burn scar area and the significant chances for mudslide activity.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife specifically outlaws tracer round ammunition at the Lake Christine Wildlife Shooting Range in Basalt, and this provision was in effect on July 3rd on posted signs and warnings located at the Basalt gun range.

Upper Cattle Creek in the southbound direction and Kelly Lake Road were closed.[4]

2100 residents were evacuated in areas of Basalt, the Fryingpan River, Missouri Heights, and El Jebel. [5]

Two evacuation centers were opened; one at Basalt High School in Basalt, and the other at the Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. The Red Cross assisted in the evacuation efforts.

On July 20, 2018 the fire grew again, causing pre evacuation orders to be put in place for Cedar Drive, Toner Creek, Seven Castles and Taylor Road. [6]