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KUNC is among the founding partners of the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Western states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Suspected Arson Sparks Small Fires Across Utah and Wyoming

An image of the Tervels Fire near the border of Utah and Wyoming.
Utah Fire Info / Twitter
An image of the Tervels Fire near the border of Utah and Wyoming.

A series of small forest fires that started this week in northern Utah and southern Wyoming are being investigated as arsons.

Six fires were started on Monday along Interstate 80 in Utah. There were a dozen more along the same highway in Wyoming.

Jason Curry is a fire investigator with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. He said arson makes up less than 10 percent of the wildfires they see.

“It’s not one of our biggest causes but it’s obviously the most preventable one because it’s somebody acting intentionally. We like to put a lot of attention into those cases and locate individuals and put a stop to their activities as soon as possible,” he said.

Curry said depending on the size and damage a fire causes, arson on forest lands can be charged as a first-degree felony. That could mean a minimum of five years in prison and $10,000 fine.

According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, arson accounts for about six percent of fires on National Forest lands across the country.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado. 

Copyright 2020 KUER 90.1. To see more, visit .

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Erik Neumann is a radio producer and writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, his work has appeared on public radio stations and in magazines along the West Coast. He received his Bachelor's Degree in geography from the University of Washington and a Master's in Journalism from UC Berkeley. Besides working at KUER, he enjoys being outside in just about every way possible.