Fire chief put on leave; interim chief named

The South Adams County Fire Department chief is on leave, and an interim chief has been named.

Fire Chief Kevin Vincel “is out on leave,” and Deputy Chief Ken Koger is named to serve as interim fire chief, according to 1:50 p.m. Thursday tweet from the fire department. The tweet describes the announcement as an “Administration Update.”

“South Adams County Fire will have no further comments at this time,” it stated.

Vincel, a longtime member of the department with almost three decades of experience, worked his way up through the ranks over the years, starting as a firefighter and working other posts including fire inspector, deputy fire marshal and fire marshal, according to the department’s website.

Vincel holds an associate degree in fire science from Red Rocks Community College and a bachelor’s degree of fire service administration from Metropolitan State University of Denver, according to his website biography. He’s working on a master’s degree at Colorado State University.

— Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post

Boat ramp to reopen for Memorial Day weekend

One boat ramp at the Cherry Creek reservoir will open before the Memorial Day weekend, state officials said Thursday.

The west boat ramp will be open ahead of the weekend, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a posting on Twitter. The east boat ramp at the reservoir remains closed, officials said. Opening the ramp required the removal of debris and cleanup that developed after a recent storm in early May.

— Bruce Finley, The Denver Post

Woman, 22, fatally hit while walking across I-70

A 22-year-old woman who died after walking across Interstate 70 may have been hit by several vehicles, and Aurora police investigating the death on Thursday appealed for help from the public. A BMW 330xi moving west on I-70 between Peña Boulevard and Chambers Road struck the woman about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, Aurora police said. “Investigators believe it is possible the pedestrian was hit by several vehicles” and that the drivers of those vehicles “do not know they were involved,” police spokeswoman Sydney Edwards said.

Paramedics took the woman to a hospital, where she died of her injuries. The driver of the BMW stayed at the scene “and is cooperating,” Edwards said.

Anyone who might have been involved or who witnessed what happened is asked to contact the Aurora Police Department. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post