Officials doubt aspects of suspect’s story

? A Forest Service employee who confessed to starting Colorado’s largest fire may not be telling the full truth, investigators said Tuesday, as hot dry winds fanned the giant blaze, threatening the more than 2,300 firefighters battling to contain it.

Federal prosecutors said they had doubts about the story Terry Barton told when she confessed to starting the fire accidentally while burning a letter from her estranged husband. The 18-year Forest Service veteran was the first to report the Hayman burn, on June 8.

“She is charged with making false statements,” said Jeff Dorschner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.

“We don’t necessarily believe everything she told investigators. She said it was an accident. The complaint said it’s willful.”

The mother of two teen-age girls is being held without bail. She faces up to 20 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if convicted on three federal criminal counts.

At an afternoon meeting, Colorado’s attorney general and district attorneys and sheriffs from four counties agreed to conduct a joint investigation. They are still discussing “how best to proceed with possible criminal charges at the state level,” according to a statement.