A man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to cremate his dog, which reportedly ignited the Bucktail Fire in Nucla, Colorado, earlier this August. According to Associate Press.
Brent Scott Garber, age 63, was arrested on September 5, according to the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, and was charged with both arson and trespassing.
He was identified as a suspect after a sheriff’s office commander saw him speeding away on an ATV just minutes after the fire began, according to The Denver Post, citing an arrest document.
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The commander then met with state fire investigators, who located a dug-out cave near where the fire started. According to the site, a half-charred dog’s body was discovered in the cave, as well as a massive rock with the words “Oct. 2017 July 2024, Rocket Dog, Rest in Peace Buddy” written in bone on the surface.
Rocket, who was eventually identified as Garber’s dog, was ordered by a judge to be euthanized after getting into a fight with another dog, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Garber placed his dog in a pit filled with wood and set it on fire before tossing a spray can into the flames, which blew out and struck a neighboring tree.
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Garber stayed in a camper near the fire’s starting place. Witnesses later told authorities that Garber said he accidentally caused the fire.
Garber appeared before the Montrose County Courthouse on Wednesday, September 25, according to USA Today. His preliminary demand hearing is set for Wednesday, October 23.
The Bucktail Fire, one of Colorado’s worst fires this year, caused an estimated $300,000 in damage to public and private property. It burned almost 7,200 acres. According to USA Today, there were no evacuation orders issued, and no casualties were recorded.
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