Stiff winds fuel Colo. wildfire; looting a concern

Crews in northern Colorado are facing powerful winds as they battle a blaze that has scorched about 86 square miles of mountainous forest land and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history. Meanwhile, local authorities are focusing on another concern — looting.

The destructiveness of the High Park Fire burning 15 miles west of Fort Collins surpassed the Fourmile Canyon wildfire, which destroyed 169 homes west of Boulder in September 2010.

More than 1,630 personnel are working on the Fort Collins-area fire, which was sparked by lightning and is 45 percent contained.

Julie Berney with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said firefighters can expect winds of 30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph Sunday. Some rain moved through Saturday evening, but it wasn't enough to quell the fire.

"The problem is that when you have a fire like this, even if it rains it evaporates before it hits the ground," Berney said.

On Sunday afternoon, high winds prompted fire managers to ground all helicopters working on the blaze and to send 96 notices to residents, ordering the immediate evacuation of the Hewlett Gulch Subdivision in the Poudre Canyon area north of the fire. It was unclear how many homes were affected.

A red flag warning has been issued for the area until 8 p.m. Sunday, and temperatures could reach 90 degrees, the hottest day since the fire was reported June 9.

But incident commander Bill Hahnenberg said he was pleased with the firefighters' progress, while also acknowledging that high winds could be a test.

"A scenario could be we'll lose some line, and then we just go after it the next day and the next day," he said. "We're going to do everything we can to protect facilities, and we're prepared to do that."

As firefighters try to get the upper hand on the blaze, which has burned large swaths of private and U.S. Forest Service land, local authorities have dispatched roving patrols to combat looting.

On Sunday, deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Stillman Maher, of Denver, on charges including theft and impersonating a firefighter. The sheriff's department said Maher was driving through the fire zone with phony firefighter credentials and a stolen government license plate.

His truck was later seen near a bar in Laporte, and investigators say they found a firearm and stolen property in the vehicle.

"There's a handful out there that are taking advantage of others," said Sheriff Justin Smith, adding that "if somebody's sneaking around back there, we're going to find them."

Also Sunday, a fire erupted in the foothills west of Colorado Springs, prompting the evacuation of some cabins and a recreation area near the Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ralph Bellah told The Gazette (http://bit.ly/MiQvne ) that the fire was reported at about 12:30 p.m. and quickly grew to up to 100 acres.

Meanwhile, a fire near Pagosa Springs in the southwestern part of the state has grown to 11,617 acres and is 30 percent contained. Hot, dry conditions Sunday are expected to fuel the fire, which was sparked by lightning May 13.

Across the West:

— California: Authorities are evacuating homes in eastern San Diego County as firefighters battle a 100-acre wildfire that has destroyed one structure. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the fire began Sunday afternoon in a rural area northeast of Campo and near the Golden Acorn Casino.

—New Mexico: A wildfire in southern New Mexico has destroyed 242 homes and businesses, and firefighters are working to increase containment and keep an eye out for possible lightning.

The 59-square-mile Little Bear Fire in Ruidoso is 60 percent contained. Dan Bastion, a spokesman for crews fighting the fire, says most of the fire is in the mop-up stage, but crews need to build more containment on the fire's active west side to deprive it of fuel.

— Arizona: Firefighters are focusing on protecting electrical transmission lines near a 3,100-acre blaze on the Tonto National Forest in northern Arizona. Officials say hot weather and steep slopes remain a concern, and firefighters are on the alert for thunderstorms and possible lightning strikes. The fire is 15 percent contained.

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Two 15-year-old girls charged with human trafficking 'ran prostitution ring luring in other teenagers'

Two 15-year-old girls have been charged with human trafficking after allegedly luring other teenage girls into prostitution.

Ottawa police are searching for a third suspect, a 17-year-old girl, who is accused of being part of the ring.

Police believe that the girls were not acting under an adult ring leader, but carried out the crimes themselves.

Describing the case as ‘shocking’, Staff Sgt. John McGetrick said police have never seen anything like it before.

Police allege that on three separate occasions in late May and early June, the teenagers lured three other girls to a Walkley Road residence in south Ottawa.

The victims were then driven to other locations around the city for the purpose of prostitution.

Investigators found similarities linking the three incidents and were able to identify the three suspects, reported The Leader Post.

The girls, who were arrested on Friday and Saturday, face multiple charges, including human trafficking, robbery, procuring, forcible confinement, sexual assault, assault, uttering threats and abduction.
Two 15-year-old girls have been charged with human trafficking after allegedly luring other teenage girls into prostitution.

Ottawa police are searching for a third suspect, a 17-year-old girl, who is accused of being part of the ring.

Police believe that the girls were not acting under an adult ring leader, but carried out the crimes themselves.

Describing the case as ‘shocking’, Staff Sgt. John McGetrick said police have never seen anything like it before.

Police allege that on three separate occasions in late May and early June, the teenagers lured three other girls to a Walkley Road residence in south Ottawa.

The victims were then driven to other locations around the city for the purpose of prostitution.

Investigators found similarities linking the three incidents and were able to identify the three suspects, reported The Leader Post.

The girls, who were arrested on Friday and Saturday, face multiple charges, including human trafficking, robbery, procuring, forcible confinement, sexual assault, assault, uttering threats and abduction.

One of the girls is also charged with administering a noxious substance.

Police did not confirm whether the girls knew their victims, although said that they had links to each other on social networking sites.

The mother of one of the 15-year-old's told CTV Ottawa that she was surprised about the charges being brought against her daughter.

The woman added she would have known if anyone was being held captive at her home.

McGetrick declined to provide more details but said the victims were confined and forced to engage in prostitution.

'The actions that lead to the offence are the same whether you’re 12 or 60,' McGetrick told The Leader Post. 'It’s still an offence, and they still need to be held accountable.'

A woman who lives in the neighbourhood where the girls allegedly lured their victims, described the alleged prostitution ring as ‘insane.’

'I cannot believe that such young girls would be the ones responsible for something like this,' Natasha Albert told The Leader Post.

The investigation may lead to the arrests of the clients, McGetrick said.

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England and Wales on flood alert

Large parts of England and Wales are on flood alert as forecasters warned that there will be no respite over coming days from the rain.

The Environment Agency said there was a "continued" risk of surface water flooding from overwhelmed drains across parts of London, East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent following rainfall of up to 50 millimetres in some areas overnight.

The agency said there are 35 flood alerts across England and Wales, with one flood warning for the River Mole at Charlwood and Hookwood in south east England amid forecasts of further heavy rainfall.

Gemma Plumb, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said up to 25 millimetres of rain could fall in parts of the Midlands, East Anglia, central southern and south eastern England with the rain starting to ease off Monday evening.

There will be light rain through central southern parts of England, the Midlands and eastern parts of England on Tuesday with some heavy showers across the rest of the UK.

On Wednesday there will be further showers, the heaviest of which will be across Wales and south west England.

The forecast of further rain comes after parts of Sussex were drenched by between 40 and 48 millimetres of rain overnight, with up to 25 millimetres of rain in parts of London. Miss Plumb warned there would be "no respite" from the wet weather over coming days.

"There will be some dry intervals at times, but at the moment it looks as though it is going to remain unsettled for a good few days now," she said.

The Environment Agency warned people to remain vigilant and check its website and Twitter feed for the latest situation. The agency added that the public was "strongly" advised to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater.

The warnings of further rain come after residents who were evacuated after floods tore through their homes in Wales continued with the clear-up.

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4:34 AM | 0 comments

Teenager dies at RockNess festival

A teenage boy has died at a music festival in the Highlands.

The 19-year-old collapsed in the main area at the RockNess festival on Saturday night. He is thought to have taken drugs.

The teenager, from Portobello in Edinburgh, was taken to the hospital tent and stabilised before being transferred to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Police said he failed to respond to treatment and died in the early hours of this morning.

A Northern Constabulary spokesman said: "Early indications are that the man may have consumed drugs and this is one of the lines of inquiry at this stage.
"A post mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death. His next of kin have been informed."

A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Meanwhile, police last night named two men killed in a road crash involving a bus taking people to the festival.

A van driver and his passenger died of their injuries following a collision with a bus on the A9 at Ralia, in the Highlands.

They are Mark McFarlane, 38, and Barry Murray, 28, from the Glasgow area, both painters and decorators.

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2:16 AM | 0 comments

Man questioned over teen's death

Detectives investigating the murder of a "beautiful" teenage girl are continuing to question a 19-year-old man.

The 15-year-old was killed at a house in Bedfordshire in the early hours of Saturday.

Police said officers attended the property after receiving a report that she had been fatally injured, but would not comment on neighbours' claims that she was stabbed to death at a house party.

The semi-detached property was cordoned off and forensic experts were at the scene.

Thorough examinations of the house and the surrounding area are expected to continue today.

Friends of the victim, who has not been named by police, paid tribute to her on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

A Twitter user named Mrs Simmons wrote: "Horrible waste of a beautiful life, may justice be served whoever caused this. RIP."

Annie Austin tweeted: "You were taken from us far too young...always in my heart beautiful." Other friends described the teenager as a lovely girl who would "never be forgotten".

One friend posted pictures of the victim with the caption: "my beautiful bestfriend, who was murdered last night. r.i.p beautiful. i love you so much".
Another said: "Still can't believe this has happened, going to miss seeing you upto mischief at school".

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2:14 AM | 0 comments

Western wildfires forcing evacuations

Firefighters in Colorado and New Mexico are battling wind-fueled wildfires that are moving fast through parched forests, forcing scores of evacuations and destroying or damaging numerous structures.

A blaze in northern Colorado was first reported Saturday morning and had grown to about 8,000 acres by mid-evening, while a fire in southern New Mexico was small for a few days until it began growing Friday, reaching about 10,000 acres.

Both fires have damaged property and forced numerous evacuations, but officials haven't yet released specific figures on the numbers who fled.

The wildfire in the mountainous Paradise Park area, about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, prompted several dozen evacuation orders.

Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Schulz said the fire expanded rapidly during the late afternoon and evening and by Saturday night, residents living along several roads in the region had been ordered to evacuate and many more were warned that they might have to flee. An evacuation center has been set up at a Laporte middle school.

Officials didn't specify how many residents had evacuated but said they had sent out 800 emergency notifications urging people to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

"Right now we're just trying to get these evacuations done and get people safe," Schulz told Denver-based KMGH-TV, adding that "given the extreme heat in the area, it makes it a difficult time for (the firefighters)."

Ten structures have been damaged, although authorities were unsure if they were homes or some other kind of buildings. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Aerial footage from KMGH-TV showed flames coming dangerously close to what appeared to be several outbuildings and at least one home in the area, as well as consuming trees and sending a large plume of smoke into the air.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was authorizing federal funds to help pay for firefighting efforts.

Two heavy air tankers, five single-engine air tankers and four helicopters were on the scene to help fight the blaze, which appeared to be burning on private and U.S. Forest Service land and was being fueled by sustained winds of between 20 and 25 mph.

"It was just good conditions to grow," National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Gimmestad told The Associated Press. "The conditions today were really favorable for it to take off."

Wind was also playing a major role in the expansion of a lightning-sparked blaze in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest that jumped its containment lines and raced through thick conifer forests. Fire managers said 20 structures were damaged or destroyed.
Spanning only a few acres on Wednesday, the Little Bear fire began to grow Friday and by Saturday afternoon about 10,000 acres had been charred northwest of the mountain community of Ruidoso.

"It's nerve-racking right now," Mayor Ray Alborn said in a telephone interview Saturday, as he watched what he described as "real heavy smoke" rise from the Sierra Blanca mountain range.

The mix of timber, dry grass and the steepness of the slopes were making the firefighting efforts more difficult. Windy conditions were also limiting what could be done from the air by helicopters and air tankers, Alborn said.

"Today all we see is smoke," he said. "Last night, we saw the flames too and it was an awesome expression of power. It was red, red and we could see it going across the top."

Fire information officers said summer homes in a few subdivisions and several campgrounds were evacuated late Friday, and more on homes on Saturday. Roads throughout the area were closed, said forest spokeswoman Peg Crim.

The fire was burning in steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain in the White Mountain Wilderness of the Lincoln National Forest, which is home to Smokey Bear, the little black cub that became the nation's symbol of fire prevention in the 1940s.

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., was on his way to the area Saturday to meet with fire managers. He said decades of mismanagement, forests packed full of trees and persistent drought conditions have resulted in an explosive situation.

"We just can't keep managing our forests this way. It's not a question of if our forests in the West are going to burn, it's a matter of when. This is just one more demonstration of that," he said.

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