Man accused of lighting Bucktail Wildfire while cremating pet dog

A 63-year-old man has been accused of starting a wildfire in Colorado while trying to cremate his dog, according to local media.

The Bucktail Fire broke out Aug. 1 north of Nucla, about 350 miles west of Denver, and destroyed more than 7,200 acres of private and national forest land and one home before be controlled.

Brent Scott Garber, 63, was charged with arson and trespassing after investigators said he started the Bucktail fire while trying to cremate his dog, the Denver Post reported , citing an affidavit from the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries were reported and the cause of the incident was initially listed as unknown.

Garber was first identified as a suspect after an officer with the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office recognized him as he rode an ATV away from the scene of the fire, just minutes after the fire was reported, the Denver Post said, citing an arrest affidavit.

“Rest in peace my friend”

The officer and state investigators later discovered a hollowed out cave with the partially burned body of a dog where the fire started. A large rock with the words “Oct. July 2017 2024, “Rocket Dog, Rest in Peace Buddy” engraved on it, with a bone stuck underneath, was also found at the site, the local media outlet reported.

Rocket, who was Garber’s dog, was euthanized by Nucla town authorities after a judge’s order because the animal had gotten involved in a fight with another dog, according to the affidavit, according to the Denver Post and KKCO.

Witnesses also later told investigators that Garber, who lived in an RV near where the fire started, told them he accidentally started the fire after an aerosol can he had thrown into the pit exploded and set fire to a tree.

The affidavit alleged Garber put his dog in a pit with wood and started the fire before throwing the spray can into the flames.

One of Colorado’s biggest fires this year

The Bucktail Fire became one of the largest fires in Colorado this year, according to KKCO, damaging public and private property and at least one building. No evacuations have been issued. The fire was about 83% contained as of Aug. 13, according to Inciweb, and additional updates were not immediately available. The sheriff’s office, in its affidavit, estimated the damage caused by the fire at around $300,000, the local media outlet reported.

Garber was arrested Sept. 5, according to sheriff’s office records. He appeared at the Montrose County Courthouse on Wednesday and his preliminary motion hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23, a court official told USA TODAY on Thursday.

The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for an update on the incident and it is unclear if Garber is still in custody.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.