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A man in Bridger, MT was arrested Wednesday on allegations he set off the 28,600-acre Robertson Draw Fire while he was off-track on his motorcycle.
John Lightburn, 55, faces felony and negligent arson counts alleging that he put the lives and property of people in danger by “knowingly or knowingly” setting off the Forest fire. A criminal mischief count alleges that Lightburn rode his motorcycle in an area of the Custer Gallatin National Forest that is closed to motor vehicles and damaged public lands.
According to prosecution documents from Carbon County District Attorney Alex Nixon, Lightburn was riding his motorcycle on the morning of June 13 when the vehicle was flooded. As he tried to fix the cycle, Lightburn reportedly spilled gas “everywhere”. A later attempt to see if he was getting a spark from his candle ignited nearby gasoline and surrounding vegetation, according to charging documents.
Amid the hot, dry conditions, the Robertson Draw fire spread rapidly over the next few days, threatening the towns of Red Lodge and Bearcreek and burning 21 structures, including at least eight homes. Crews are on hand to fight the wildfire, which has consumed a large area between Line Creek, north of Clark, and Mount Maurice, just west of Red Lodge.
Nixon said the rapid growth of the fire on June 15 “created dangerous conditions for firefighters and local residents.” The prosecutor said at least one law enforcement officer “was nearly caught by the fire” as he helped evacuate residents and escorted them through the flame front.
“The damage to public and private property and associated firefighting efforts, which continue, have caused losses of several million dollars,” Nixon wrote.
According to what Lightburn told authorities, the blaze started around 10 a.m. on June 13. He was reported to authorities at around 2:30 p.m. and Lightburn was reportedly seen walking out of the fire area with burns at around 4:30 p.m.
It was picked up by a retired investigator and turned over to Katrina Haworth, a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer, who responded to the scene after receiving reports of the fire.
Lightburn reported burning his foot in an attempt to put out the fire. However, Haworth observed no effort to extinguish the blaze while investigating the scene, although she did find Lightburn’s burnt motorbike and a few tools.
Lightburn was being held at the Gallatin County Detention Center on Wednesday night on bail set at $ 7,500.
(CJ Baker contributed reporting.)
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