HURRICANE — A 32-year-old man was arrested over the weekend after allegedly starting a small brush fire in Sand Hollow State Park.
Crews from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue were dispatched to a brush fire at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. “Upon arrival, crews encountered a large brush fire burning inside the State Park,” the department stated. “The fire was approximately 3.5 acres in size and was human-caused.”
A police booking affidavit further states that an ATV was burned in the fire.
After the fire was extinguished, an investigator spotted a man on another ATV that looked similar to the one involved in the fire, according to the affidavit.
“(The man) was operating an ATV on the outskirts of the scene, looking at the fire. The ATV had fire damage on the left side,” the affidavit states.
When questioned, the man admitted he was the owner of the ATV that had burned. The investigator also noted that the man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
“Based on the observed clues during field sobriety, I deemed (the man) impaired under the influence of alcohol and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle,” according to the affidavit.
The man was arrested for investigation of abandoning a fire that caused property damage, DUI and refusing to take a DUI test.