DENVER (KDVR) — Two men were arrested on Sunday in connection with an illegal burn that allegedly started the Oak Fire, burning 75 acres in Aspen Springs.
The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said Sergio Alaniz Jr., 41, and Ross Heirigs, 60, were arrested on Sunday night on multiple counts of fourth-degree arson after the Oak Fire sparked around 11 a.m. on Aug. 10.
The two suspects allegedly violated the Second Amended and Restated Ordinance No. 18-2017 for the regulation of open burning in unincorporated areas of Archuleta County after the fire started from a burn barrel at 152 Oak Drive in the area of Spruce Circle, according to the sheriff’s office.
After the fire sparked, the sheriff’s office said the fire spread through the subdivision quickly, spotting approximately half a mile into the neighboring subdivision.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued within one mile of all directions of 38 Spruce Cr. as it burned west of Pagosa Springs, north of State Highway 160 in the Elk Park/Ironwood subdivision. Some evacuation orders were just lifted on Wednesday.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency after only six hours since it sparked and authorized the use of the National Guard.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the fire was at one point threatening more than 5,100 buildings and 2,000 homes. The fire damaged property, including one man’s nearby land, where tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of carpentry tools and equipment were destroyed in the flames.
The sheriff’s office said firefighting aerial resources and first responders were able to contain the fire at 75 acres on Aug. 10. More than a hundred people were working on the fire, and the sheriff’s office estimated the fire to have cost $2 million.
This fire sparked amid several wildfires burning along the Western Slope. Polis has declared several disaster emergencies for wildfires, along with a disaster emergency for the entire state. The largest active wildfire in Colorado, the Lee Fire, is nearing the fourth-largest wildfire in state history.
Archuleta County remains on stage one fire restrictions.
