EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — They are both hired to protect and serve the public.
But now the public is getting a glimpse into a spat between a county sheriff and fire chief.
And it’s all over the most destructive fire in Colorado history.
Black Forest Fire Chief Bob Harvey told board members Wednesday night what caused the deadly and destructive fire—an arsonist.
But El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa—who’s in charge of the investigation—says the chief is out of line.
These words ignited a war of words from the Sheriff against the Fire Chief:
“I don’t think that anybody in the Black Forest area is surprised that this is human caused and probably intentional.”
“Without any investigative background, without access to evidence, without collecting evidence, he (Harvey) is totally out of line. It’s a true disservice to the community,” says Maketa.
He says Harvey’s speculation undermines the thousands of hours of investigation and only perpetuates the rumor mill.
He also says it could contaminate a jury pool if they determine the fire was set intentionally.
“We know it was human caused. But to make the leap that it was deliberately set, you need overwhelming evidence and that evidence does not exist at this point,” says Maketa.
The fire killed two people—caused $85 million in damage and destroyed nearly 500 homes—including Sid Webb’s.
“If you haven’t nailed someone by now, it’s going to be more and more difficult. I would just say, ‘Do the job well. Do it right, so you get the right person,” says Webb.
He and other victims, like Angela Hill, say it’s been five months since the fire and they just want some resolution.
“We just need an answer and if answer is, ‘We don’t know. Then that’s the answer. But we just need a definitive, ‘It’s done. This is what it is,’” says Hill.
Maketa says they’re working on it—but that inappropriate comments from Harvey don’t help.
“I think the worst thing is the person is still out there,” Harvey told KRDO-TV Wednesday night.
“Once we have answers backed by facts, we are going to share it with the community. We have no reason but to share,” says Maketa.
He also says Wednesday he got an update that they made progress toward solving the case. But he’s not revealing that information.