Wildfire Safeguards Approved By Colorado Senate

DENVER (AP) — New safeguards to prevent state-set fires from going out of control have won unanimous approval in the state Senate.

The Senate voted 34-0 without debate Wednesday in favor of new safety curbs on prescribed burns on state forest land. The safeguards include a new requirement that people attend the fire as long as it's burning, along with a requirement that nearby residents are alerted to planned burns.

The bill now heads to the House.

Another bill advancing in the Senate would raise limits for recovering damages incurred on account of government wrongdoing.

Both measures are a reaction to the Lower North Fork Fire west of Denver last year. That blaze killed three and was caused by a prescribed burn coordinated by state officials to reduce risks of a catastrophic wildfire.

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