HURRICANE, Utah — Over the weekend, the entire valley between Hurricane and Laverkin behind me was in flames, and authorities believe one person started the fire that came dangerously close to a neighborhood.
"It could have gotten really bad," explained Washington County Fire Warden Heber Heyder. "It could have come up, spotted over this ridge top, and just kept going through the grass and sage and then into this neighborhood."
Firefighters from four agencies and air resources stopped what was dubbed the Old Dump Fire at dusk Sunday before it could reach the neighborhood of several homes. Crews were still on the scene Monday, getting the last of the hot spots in a landscape of dark lava rock combined with charred brush and dirt.
But the brush fire wasn’t an accident.
"Somebody was down here that were seen when the fire started, kind of hustling out of here," Heyder said.
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Neighborhood resident Roxanne Sanchez shared photos with FOX 13 News, saying a person could be seen setting fire to the dry brush along the Virgin River, with her husband witnessing the suspect lighting three separate fire spots.
After Sanchez's husband yelled at the suspect, identified as 28-year-old Brad-Lee Edward Bellmore, he fled on a bicycle.
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Bellmore was arrested on Monday by Hurricane police on three charges of second-degree arson, with each carrying the potential of one to 15 years in prison.
According to the police report, Bellmore called dispatch asking to be rescued, but specifically asked for no police officers. Police said Bellmore's clothing matched that of the person in the photos, and he acknowledged hearing the witness yelling at him and trying to flee.
Jerry Jaeger took over as Washington County’s top prosecutor just last week, and Bellmore's case has yet to reach his desk, but he said with the high fire danger, he’s joining with other state officials in getting tougher on those responsible for causing wildfires.
"Depending on the nature of the case, we need to be tougher," said Jaeger. "...on a case that maybe normally, like a misdemeanor case, you normally won't get jail time. The way things are right now, there's a good chance you're going to end up in jail if you're messing around with fire."
