LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — The man accused of sparking the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County and impersonating a wildland firefighter in the aftermath pleaded not guilty to all six charges against him on Wednesday morning.
Jason Alexander Hobby's plea was accepted by Judge Sarah B. Cure, who then set a trial date for July 2026.
Hobby, 50, of Loveland was arrested in September 2024 on charges of first-degree arson, two counts of impersonating a peace officer, impersonating a public servant, felony menacing, and false imprisonment. With the exception of the latter, all are felonies.
Hobby had been employed at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch — a family-owned, 3,200-acre property in the foothills west of Loveland — up until a few three or four weeks prior to his arrest, when he was identified as the person suspected of starting the Alexander Mountain Fire.
The fire sparked on July 29, 2024 near Drake north of Highway 34, and burned 9,668 acres over about three weeks. About two weeks later, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed that the fire was human-caused and the sheriff later said it originated from a campfire ring around the top of the mountain. More than 5,000 people evacuated and about 30 homes and 20 outbuildings were destroyed. Nobody was injured. Fire damage was estimated at $30 million, plus $11 million for the firefighting efforts.
During the investigation into the fire, officials found evidence that Hobby had impersonated law enforcement on several occasions before the fire, and stopped people on fake traffic stops on the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch property in a Chevrolet SUV designed to look like a law enforcement vehicle. In some cases, he pointed a weapon at a person and falsely claimed they were trespassing, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said in a press conference in the fall of 2024.
Feyen said he was not aware of Hobby impersonating a law enforcement officer anytime after the fire. However, Hobby is accused of impersonating a wildland firefighter after the blaze.
In addition to the Chevrolet SUV, Hobby owned a modified Ford that looked like a fire response vehicle and was outfitted with equipment often seen on those vehicles. The Ford had emblems of "Twin Buttes Fire Protection," as did some gear Hobby had, however investigators could not identify that department anywhere. He allegedly drove the outfitted Ford to bypass road closures and access restricted areas during the Alexander Mountain Fire, representing himself to be a wildland firefighter, the sheriff said.
In late September 2024, Denver7 obtained Hobby's arrest affidavit, which read that he had acted as a "self-proclaimed fire manager" and wanted to be seen as "the hero" during the Alexander Mountain Fire. In the aftermath of the fire, several employees at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch pointed at Hobby as a possible suspect.
Watch Denver7's coverage after we secured through his arrest affidavit in the video below.
The manager said the ranch's property owners had compiled a "lengthy list of infractions" reportedly committed by Hobby over the prior two years, the affidavit read. That included bullying, harassment, and incidents involving a firearm. In July 2024, he was disciplined, and ultimately demoted from his security duties at the ranch, for "conducting unauthorized armed (firearm) law enforcement duties on the property, by wearing a uniform with law enforcement 'Ranger' insignia, and operating several vehicles with a 'Ranger' star on the door," the affidavit reads.
According to the affidavit, Hobby did not like that the ranch was being transferred to the Heart-J Center — a nonprofit educational center — and had reportedly "expressed anger, hatred, and fear of the plans for the land to go to the Heart-J Center." About 1,240 acres of the Sylvan Dale Ranch that burned in the fire was supposed to be donated to the nonprofit, the affidavit reads. The document says that Hobby told another employee that "things would be better if the Heart-J Center exploded."
The manager of Heart-J Center later told investigators in an interview that they were "concerned that Hobby created this incident to insert himself as the hero in the eyes of staff after his recent disciplinary work history," according to the affidavit.
After the Alexander Mountain Fire started, Hobby attended a meeting at the fire incident command post on July 30, 2024. During that meeting, Hobby said he knew the fire had started from an unattended campfire on Alexander Mountain, according to court documents. However, investigators did not determine a cause until several days later, on Aug. 3.
Hobby had allegedly said he worked as a firefighter in Wyoming and traveled up there on his days off to help, but the affidavit reads that the Wyoming State Forestry did not have a record of Hobby being a certified firefighter or wildland firefighter at any point.
The affidavit reads that he had told the ranch manager he was going to be in Wyoming on July 29, the day the fire started, but that same manager saw him on the property less than 90 minutes after the fire was initially reported. Ranch staff told authorities they heard firearms being shot near Alexander Mountain shortly before the fire started.
During a search of his home, authorities found a slew of clothing from various agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Wildland Fire Management and Montrose Wildland Fire, and they also found shirts that read "Chief Hobby" on it, the affidavit reads.
During an interview with Hobby after investigators had identified him as a suspect, Hobby took a polygraph examination and was asked if he had started the Alexander Mountain Fire. He answered no. The polygraph examiner said Hobby failed the exam and was untruthful during that question, according to the affidavit.
His arrest affidavit details 10 other times when he had been arrested, which ranged from impersonation charges to wearing an improper uniform to theft by misrepresentation. He also had several firearm-related charges. All of these charges were out of California.
