Mr. DONATO: Even after this huge, high-severity fire and a tough place to grow trees, we're finding lots of natural conifer regeneration, which was very unexpected.
One particular question they plan to address is whether the behaviour and severity of the High Park fire was affected by the spread of mountain pine beetle, a pest that is rapidly overrunning Colorado because its breeding season has been extended by the warming climate.
However, unnamed hospital sources quoted by El Mundo said the severity of his injuries, and speed with which the fire had spread, suggested his action had been deliberate.
He added that fire spread was a major concern at the incident, and that the Chief Fire Officers Association "was right to be increasingly concerned about the number and severity of fires in timber framed buildings under construction".