Two people have been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly igniting fireworks in Boulder County in late July that sparked a small wildfire that burned less than an acre.
Officials cited the quick work of firefighters who tackled the flames in a matter of hours on July 31 and stamped out the fire by Aug. 1. The fire started when Boulder was amid severe fire restrictions.
Sheriff’s officials said Wednesday that they arrested 26-year-old Alan Khoshaba and 20-year-old Cameron Brown — both were booked in jail. Khoshaba was in Palm Beach County, Florida, awaiting a hearing. Brown posted a $1,000 bond in Boulder County Tuesday.
Eyewitness accounts and law enforcement officials placed the two men at the scene off of Flagstaff Road, just west of Boulder, the night of July 31. They were igniting illegal fireworks, officials said.
The two face arson and criminal mischief charges, both are felonies. Boulder prosecutors say they’re also considering whether there should be a charge added for violating the fire restrictions in place at the time.
These are the first arrests for arson and burglary directly tied to wildland fires this summer. Another man was arrested and charged in Boulder with arson, but officials couldn’t connect him to anything that burned outside.
Officials battled multiple fire fronts earlier this month in Larimer and Boulder counties. Those fires, which have burned more than 20,000 acres, have recently been aided by the wetter, cooler weather, but officials believe they were all started, either advertently or inadvertently, by people.
