This Aug. 1, 2024 photo provided by the Telluride Fire Protection District shows the Bucktail Fire in western Colorado. (Credit: Telluride Fire Protection District)
null - Investigators said the cause of a wildfire in Colorado last month was due to a man who was attempting to cremate his dog.
Law enforcement arrested a man earlier this month and has charged him with arson and trespassing, according to court documents.
Investigators said that the man was holding a cremation ceremony on Aug. 1 for his dog, Rocket. The dog was euthanized after it was involved in a fight with another dog.
The subsequent wildfire that was sparked by the cremation ceremony caused about $200,000 in damages and burned down about 11 square miles. The wildfire has since been contained.
The suspect lived in a camper near the fire’s origin and the cremation ceremony got out of control when a spray can he threw into the blaze blew up and lit a nearby tree on fire, court records said.
Minutes after the fire was reported, law enforcement saw a man driving away from the fire on an ATV.