Eckley News

Fires such as the Heartstrong fire that tore through parts of Yuma County on March 18, 2012 are just the sort of situation the Morgan County Sheriff's Office is looking to prevent during a dry and windy weekend.

As the brush fire in Yuma County last weekend showed, being prepared and having a plan is important because you never know when a disaster might hit.

In a Sunday, March 18, 2012 photo provided by the Yuma, Colo., Pioneer, a wildfire sends up a huge wall of smoke, forcing authorities to temporarily close a section of U.S. Highway 34 east of Yuma County, Colo., when the fire filled the skies with so much smoke that firefighters couldn't see the flames.

In a Sunday, March 18, 2012 photo provided by the Yuma, Colo., Pioneer, a wildfire sends up a huge wall of smoke, forcing authorities to temporarily close a section of U.S. Highway 34 east of Yuma County, Colo., when the fire filled the skies with so much smoke that firefighters couldn't see the flames.

A mother accused of slashing her children's throats and setting fire to the family's apartment had removed the unit's inside doorknob, sealed vents, covered sprinklers and disabled the smoke alarm, prosecutors said Monday at the woman's arraignment.