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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Forest Fires and Federal Money

    The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. Fires are also raging in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota. Climate change is drying out the forests, creating fuel for fires expected to increase individual property loss, human misery and federal taxes. Studies show that local government agencies allow development near dense forests, knowing that the cost of fire-fighting will be covered by Washington. We update the current outbreaks and ask, is it politics that's preventing prudent planning?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Wildfires Rage across the West
    1. 0:00Mexican Election Results
    2. 7:36Forest Fires and Federal MoneyYou’re reading this
    3. 43:40Election-Year Politics and the Supreme Court
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lata Pandya

      Assistant Producer, To the Point/Which Way, LA?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gideon Brower

      Independent Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jeremy Meyer

      Denver Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      Ray Rasker

      Headwaters Economics

    • KCRW placeholder

      Harris Sherman

      US Department of Agriculture

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Wildfires Rage across the West
    1. 0:00Mexican Election Results
    2. 7:36Forest Fires and Federal MoneyYou’re reading this
    3. 43:40Election-Year Politics and the Supreme Court
    Back to To the Point