The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has agreed to pay $20 million and adopt a series of fire mitigation plans for its role in one of the largest wildfires in Colorado history.
The proposed agreement, announced yesterday, mandates that the railroad will pay $20 million over the course of 10 years.
Though both federal and private fire investigators concluded hot cinders spewed by a train sparked the 54,000-acre wildfire in 2018, Durango’s historic railroad continues to deny it caused the 416 Fire, and the settlement is not an admission of liability.
Under the proposed plan, the railroad cannot run its coal-burning trains during periods of elevated fire risks. The railroad must also prepare an annual operating and fire prevention plan, which will be submitted to the U.S. Forest Service for review and approval every year.
