Casper Fire Chief Emails on Landfill Fire Revealed

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Casper Fire Chief Kenneth King asked one of his inspectors to eliminate "bad parts" of video evidence being sought by authorities after a burning wood-chip pile at Casper's landfill ignited a wildfire that destroyed 14 homes, according to emails obtained by the Casper Star-Tribune.

The newspaper reports the fire jumped the landfill and burned about 16 square miles last year. Officials were concerned the fire could result in legal action.

The city now faces more than $1.7 million in claims related to the fire.

King says he sent the email as a joke to someone he considers a friend and says it was in poor taste.

The email was one of more than 1,000 turned over to the Star-Tribune as part of public records requests.