Campfire Ring News Today

Underneath this rock and went straight out. >> reporter: jones traced the fire to a poorly built campfire ring. what was it about the formation of rocks that made you think something was fishy here. >> theres a large rock that had been propped up by another rock. it looks like this fire is staged to look like a campfire but it was an intentional fire. >> reporter: then jones took a closer look at the ashes and made an important find. >> its a paper match and i can see clearly the head of it and ...

Escaped campfire. >> reporter: she was a rookie investigator but a former police detective, so moments after she arrived jones was certain this was no ordinary fire but a crime scene. forest service worker terry barton was on fire lookout in pike national forest when she spotted a fire. these first moments of the fire proved so critical that investigators asked barton to recreate them on tape. she first tried to smother the flames, then realized she needed backup, fast. the fire erupted and rage...

Emotional trama, carrying it out to the campfire ring and burning it. >> the matches were in my hand with the letter. i put the letter down and i lit it one match -- let the match down, and i watched it, and i sat here until it burned up. >> this moment is key because shes saying how she lit the letter with one match. i say are you sure it was with one match? she said no, im sure it was one match and i would have flung it. i found three matches and that to me was a key piece of evidence that dis...

Tantalizing pieces of a puzzle and had an unlikely hero. >> im so new and at the same point in time this was the biggest fire in colorados history. >> reporter: special agent kim jones. >> i didnt think it was a crime. when i was going there the first day, i was told it was an escaped campfire. >> reporter: she was a rookie investigator but a former police detective, so moments after she arrived jones was certain this was no ordinary fire but a crime scene. forest service worker terry barton was...

The fear kept getting bigger when the fire kept getting bigger. >> she then admits that in fact she was responsible for the hayman fire by taking a love letter from her about to be ex-husband in a state of emotional trama, carrying it out to the campfire ring and burning it. >> the matches were in my hand with the letter. i put the letter down and i lit it one match -- let the match down, and i watched it, and i sat here until it burned up. >> this moment is key because shes saying how she lit t...

Photographed the campfire ring and searched for clues. their initial conclusion, a in-brainer, careless campers started the fire. in fact, a witness did report seeing a van leaving the area. >> im thinking why am i going to a campfire, you know? >> reporter: jones remembers thinking it was a waste of time tracking six hours through the smoky haze to find and question a negligent camper? what is it like being back to the scene of the crime? >> its -- its a little strange to be back because it doe...

Former police detective. so moments after she arrived, jones was certain this was no ordinary fire, but a crime scene. forest service worker terry barton was on fire lookout in pike national forest when she spotted a fire. these first moments of the fire proved so critical that investigators asked barton to recreate them on tape. barton first tried to smother the flames, then realized she needed backup fast. the fire erupted and raged out of control. when investigators arrived, they photographed...

>> what is it like being back at the scene of the crime? >> its a little strange to be back because it didnt look like anything like it did then. >> reporter: when jones first arrived here, the very place where the fire began, her instincts immediately took over. remember, there was a drought and high temperatures. >> it was a 90-degree day and no ones going to build a fire. >> reporter: she talked to the first investigators. >> as im looking at things, i dont see any evidence of camping. they w...

>> reporter: so good, he trains many of the nations wildfire investigators. >> watch how it comes out low and goes out high. >> reporter: hours after she called for help he flew to colorado at the same time the driver of that van spotted leaving the scene was found but had an alibi and was cleared. investigators had no other leads so they returned to the scene and began a pain staking forensic investigation. he mapped the path of the flame with colored flags. >> we were going to use the physical...

And began a painstaking foreencic investigation. he mapped the path of the flame with colored flags. >> we were going to use the physical marks a fire leaves, which is basically the fires footprints. >> reporter: and sifted through the ashes at the campfire ring. jones had already removed the crucial evidence, the three matches, but photos showing their exact position when the fire ignited was vital. >> being able to enhance that photograph and bring that original position of those matches out w...