In the summer of 2002 , when the Hayman Fire and Coal Seam Fire ravaged much of Western Colorado , Owens made perhaps the first major press faux-pas of his tenure . Responding to a reporter 's question following an aerial tour of the fires ( “ What does it look like up there ? ” ) , Owens said “ It looks as if all of Colorado is burning today ” . Many western slope residents blamed Owens for driving away tourists with the press 's truncated version of the quote ( “ All of Colorado is burning ” )
Hayman Fire
Hayman Fire
Bill Owens (Colorado politician)