Fort Collins Man Sentenced for Starting Horsetooth Wildfire

Robert McGehee, a 34-year-old Fort Collins resident pleased guilty to second-degree arson and criminal mischief after allegedly starting a wildfire last September “out of rage and resentment”.

He was given a deferred sentence as well as community service and probation, according to the Coloradoan.

Investigators say on September 5, after fighting with his mother, McGehee lit a patch of grass on fire then tried to put it out with his shirt while at Horsetooth Reservoir.

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputies were told that McGehee was frustrated about a recent breakup.

The fire burned 16.2 acres and cost more than $5,000 in resources to extinguish, according to the Coloradoan.