BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Department announced that it had caught the man who started the fire by shooting at exploding targets in a canyon six miles east of Bellevue.
Exploding targets are illegal on public lands.
Officers declined to say how they had found him, other to say they had a lot of leads. And they declined to release his name.
But Sheriff Steve Harkins did say he was an adult male who lives in Bellevue.
The individual admitted to starting the fire shortly after being interviewed by detectives Wednesday evening, Harkins said. Official charges have not been filed yet, pending a review by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
This is the second time in about a year someone shooting explosive targets has started a fire in Muldoon Canyon east of Bellevue. The July 2017 Martin Canyon Fire burnt about 4,000 acres.