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Bill Would Make Penalty Higher For Leaving A Campfire Unattended

FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) - Abandoning a campfire in Colorado could soon have bigger consequences.

Generic Campfire
(credit: CBS)

A bill state lawmakers are looking at would carry a maximum $750 fine and/or up to 6 months jail, the Summit Daily reported.

Right now there's only a $50 fine for leaving a campfire unattended.

Some lawmakers say more needs to be done to stamp out what is a common source of wildfires in Colorado.

"Summit County has 156,000 acres of dead trees. All it takes is one lightning strike or one unattended campfire to start a catastrophic fire," County Commissioner Dan Gibbs told the Daily.

The bill is now heading to the Colorado Senate for a vote.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

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