BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A man suspected of arson over the Fourth of July holiday in Boulder County has been arrested, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputies said in a news release Friday.
Luke Dalton Rynearson, 26, was arrested this week in Castle Rock after tips led authorities to Rynearson, who was positively identified as the suspect in the suspected arson and burglary that occurred at around 11:30 p.m. on July 4 along Highway 7, just east of Allenspark.
He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Douglas County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Deputies said Rynearson ignited one structure and attempted to start a second fire. The blaze spread to the ground and neighboring trees, which posed the risk of a potential fire, deputies said.
Rynearson is facing several charges, including first-degree arson, attempt to commit a Class 4 felony, second-degree burglary, and criminal mischief.
“Based on information known to investigators at this time, we have no reason to believe Rynearson or the arson in the 24,000 block of Highway 7 on July 4 are connected to any of the wildfire starts that have taken place in Boulder County this week,” deputies said in a news release Friday.
Wildfire
Multiple wildfires rage in Colorado amid hot, dry conditions. Here's the latest
While the cause of the Stone Canyon Fire remains under investigation, Boulder County deputies acknowledged Thursday the Lake Shore Fire was likely human-caused, but accidental. Investigators were in contact with two individuals regarding the start of the fire, deputies said.
On Friday, Jefferson County deputies said there was now an active arson investigation into the Quarry Fire which is burning west of Ken Caryl. The announcement from Jefferson County officials comes less than a day after an informed source told Denver7 chief investigative reporter Tony Kovaleski that “weird items” had been found at the origin of the Quarry Fire, which has burned 431 acres of land and is 4% contained.
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