5 charged with starting wildfire while Lee, Elk and Crosho Fires burned nearby

DENVER (KDVR) — Five people have been arrested in connection to a 35-acre wildfire that started on Aug. 15 in Rio Blanco County, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire sparked in the Yellow Jacket area, which is northeast of Meeker in Rio Blanco County. Deputies were able to begin an investigation and preserve evidence while firefighters and air support were actively fighting the blaze, which indicated the fire was “likely human-caused,” according to a sheriff’s office release.

Those charged, and the charges they are facing, were announced as:

• Zachary Williams, 29
  • A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie
  • Several federal charges, including entering a forest closure, possession of fireworks and removing wood without a permit
• Ashley Renae Trujillo, 39
  • A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie
  • Federal charges to include entering a forest closure
• Jason Dwayne Ridgeway, 40
  • A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie
  • Several federal charges
• Michael Lee Buhler, 52
  • A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie
  • Federal charges to include entering a forest closure, removing wood without a permit and fire during restrictions
• William Argul Ekstrom Jr. (Billy), 36
  • A state felony charge of firing woods or prairie
  • Federal charges to include entering a forest closure, removing wood without a permit and fire during restrictions

All five suspects have been taken into police custody.

The Yellow Jacket Fire burned approximately 35 acres, according to the sheriff’s office. The agency called the investigation “particularly critical” to the county as it simultaneously managed the larger Lee, Elk and Crosho fires in the region, which burned hundreds of thousands of acres in western Colorado.

Those fires placed a large demand on aerial and ground firefighting resources, and the diversion to fight the Yellow Jacket Fire created safety challenges for firefighters and other first responders.

The Yellow Jacket Fire was contained by the Complex Incident Management Team that was also managing the Lee and Elk fires.

This case was investigated by the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Meeker Police Department, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.