WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — Hurricane City police have made an arrest following a brush fire in a ravine straddling the southern Utah communities of Hurricane and LaVerkin that stretched 50 acres late Sunday afternoon and threatened several homes.
The fire began around 5:30 p.m. along the Virgin River in an off-road riding area of Confluence Park known as The Sand Chute. It was named the Old Dump Fire for the trash dump that used to be in the area.
Brad-Lee Edward Bellmore was arrested by Hurricane City police in the early hours of Monday morning. He faces 3 charges of arson, causing over $5,000 in damages.
The fire moved quickly, Washington County Fire Warden Heber Heyder said, marching up the side of the ravine toward a home.
“It could have gotten really bad. It could have come up, spotted over this ridge top, and just kept going through the grass and sage and then into this neighborhood,” Heyder said.
“There were several homes threatened. This one that we're at foremost,” Heyder added. “But we got crews here and a very good timing for the crews to get here and able to protect it.”
Other structures in danger included the historic hydroelectric plant that provided power to the area from 1919 to 1983.
“Somebody was down here that were seen when the fire started, kind of hustling out of here,” Heyder stated.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, witnesses of the fire reported to officers they witnessed a man in red shorts and a tank top stopping at three locations and starting fires. The witnesses said that through binoculars, they were able to see the man using a lighter to start the fires.
When witnesses yelled at the man, they reported that he took off riding away from the group. However, one of the witnesses was able to capture a picture of the suspect as he escaped.
Eventually, a man called 9-1-1, stating that he was lost in the area of the fire and needed his mother to come pick him up. The caller was insistent that the dispatchers not send officers to him.
When rescuers were able to find the caller through air support and transported him to a different location, they discovered it was Brad-Lee Edward Bellmore. At the time, he was wearing a multi-colored tank top and black sweatpants.
Bellmore was detained and taken to the Hurricane City Police Department, where he admitted to being in Confluence Park and being next to the fire. When asked, Bellmore also admitted after leaving the area he changed his clothes from red shorts to black sweatpants.
A plane dropped fire retardant while a helicopter made several water drops right up to dusk.
Heyder said forward progress was stopped around 7:30 p.m.
Crews remained on scene. As the sun set, the sound of chainsaws could be heard below from firefighters continuing to create lines.
It is estimated that over $20,000 in damages were done.
“Crews are just mopping up those edges and cooling things down,” Heyder said.
