Federal prosecutors brought a civil lawsuit Tuesday against an Alpine youth accused of starting a fire last year in Box Elder Canyon.
The civil suit comes on the heels of a federal indictment against the teen's mother, Luann Gentry, who allegedly lied about her son's involvement in the fire, which charred 25 acres in the canyon just six miles south of Grantsville.
According to the four-count indictment, Luann Gentry repeatedly told an investigator from the U.S. Forest Service that her 16-year-old son, Nick, did not start the July 20, 2000, blaze. Federal agents say Gentry is a trained firefighter with the Lone Peak Fire Department.
According to the civil suit, Nick Gentry "knew or should have known that building a campfire could result in a wildfire that could cause injury to adjacent property owners, including the United States, and, therefore, had a duty to the United States."
Nick Gentry built a fire on "highly combustible 'duff,' a thick layer of dead and decaying woody debris, and did not take reasonable steps to build a fire to minimize the danger of that fire escaping," the suit states.
According to the suit, Nick Gentry and his friends left the area on July 21, 2000, with the campfire burning out of control. They did not notify authorities of the wildfire, the suit states.
Because Nick Gentry is a minor, his case was forwarded to the state juvenile court system. It is unclear whether criminal charges have been brought against him.
The government is seeking the $137,330 it cost to suppress the fire, as well as 12 percent interest and penalty and court costs.