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 Thursday in favor of a set 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 prescribed burn bill is a reaction to last March's deadly Lower North Fork Fire in the foothills west of Denver. That blaze killed three and was caused by a prescribed burn intended to keep the forest healthy.
The wildfire measure now heads to the House.
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Online:
Senate Bill 83: http://bit.ly/13l2eNH
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