A local resident has been charged for her connection to the Tally Ho Trail Fire, which burned in Boulder County on April 19 and caused more than $20,000 in damage.
According to authorities, 48-year-old Helena Syrovatkova's alleged criminal negligence resulted in the start of the blaze. Syrovatkova, a resident of unincorporated Boulder County, had started a fire in a backyard metal pit the previous night – when no restrictions were in place – extinguishing it on the same night. The following day, around noon, she spread ashes from the fire in a garden bed along a fence, believing this would be good fertilizer.
A short time later, she noticed the flames and attempted to extinguish the blaze, also calling for emergency assistance. She has since been cooperative during the investigation.
The fire would ultimately burn around 10 acres, damaging fences on eight residential properties. No structures were lost and no humans were injured.
Authorities called Syrovatkova's actions "a gross deviation from the standard of care a reasonable person would have exercised under similar circumstances, charging her with 'Firing woods or prairie.' According to the Sheriff's Office, this charge was recently changed from a class two misdemeanor to a class two petty offense. This would mean that the charge could carry a fine, but not jail time.
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