Fire: August 2009 Archives

A fire cause and origin expert testified Wednesday that the Carondale, CO, County Road 100 wildfire started somewhere other than Larry Gerbaz's property in April 2008.  Jeffrey Berino, a senior fire investigator with an Arvada firm, said he concluded the cause and origin of the wildfire couldn't be determined because of a wide variety of factors. Berino, who was hired by Gerbaz's defense team, said he found evidence of “several” heels or possible places of origin for the fire when he investigated the scene last summer. “None of them are near Mr. Gerbaz's [wood] pile,” he said.

Gerbaz acknowledges he burned a wood pile at 1265 County Road 100 on Saturday, April 12. He claims he took precautions to make sure the fire didn't spread and made sure it was out before he left it unattended.  An investigation by the Garfield County Sheriff's Office concluded heavy winds on Tuesday, April 15, revived embers from the Gerbaz burn pile and started the wildfire. Gerbaz is facing one felony and one misdemeanor charge of fourth degree arson. Deputy District Attorney Ed Veronda called more than one dozen witnesses last week to build a case.

Excerpted PostIndependent.com. 

Carbondale, CO, Fire Chief Ron Leach testified as a fire origin expert Tuesday in an arson trial that he is convinced the County Road 100 fire in April 2008 originated on a ranch maintained by Larry Gerbaz.  The expert said the burn patterns left on grass, trees and vegetation trace back to a meadow at 1265 County Road 100, where there is a ranch maintained by Gerbaz. Strong winds prevailing from the west toward the east pushed the fire off that ranch and toward the Ranch at Roaring Fork subdivision and Catherine Store, he said.  The fire damaged three houses, burned one man and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents

Deputy District Attorney Ed Veronda started building a case Tuesday to try to convince the jury that Gerbaz was careless in his handling of a controlled burn even if he didn't intentionally let the fire get out of control. Gerbaz lit a wood pile on fire the weekend of April 12 and 13. When high winds kicked up the morning of Tuesday, April 15, Gerbaz was in Denver, both sides agree.

Excerpted from TheAspenTimes.com.

Christie Michelle Scott, 31, was convicted July 8 on three counts of capital murder for the Aug. 16, 2008, death of her 6-year-old son Mason Scott. The first count was that she killed the child for monetary gain - $175,000 in life insurance that included a $100,000 policy purchased 12 hours before his death. Count two was that she committed an intentional murder during a first-degree arson. Count three was that the victim was less than 14 years old.

Fire experts and investigators for the prosecution testified the fire began on or around Noah Scott's bed, but they were unsure how it was ignited. They also testified that the home's smoke detector was disabled before the fire. Prosecutors contend Scott disabled the smoke detector to prevent it from alerting her son to the fire. 

Excerpted from TimesDaily.com.