JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A suspect was arrested Monday for allegedly intentionally setting a brush fire along Highway 74, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) said Tuesday.
At around 4:46 p.m. Monday, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies received report of a man standing over a fire on the south side of the highway. The JCSO said when deputies arrived, they found an active brush fire in a ravine south of Highway 74.
They quickly found a man matching the reported suspect's description and detained him without incident, the JCSO said.
One sheriff's deputy used a fire extinguisher to slow the spread of the flames until firefighters arrived and fully put out the blaze.
"The quick reporting by community members and the rapid response by deputies and fire personnel helped prevent the fire from spreading further," the JCSO said Tuesday.
During the investigation, the JCSO said deputies found a lighter near the origin point for the brush fire.
The suspect accused of starting the fire was identified Tuesday as Royce Ben Jameson, 25, from New Mexico. He faces charges of setting fire to woods or prairie and third-degree criminal trespassing. Jameson is being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.
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