TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — A woman who set her home ablaze near Divide which then spread to become the Highlands Lake Fire late last year has been arrested, officials in Teller County said Thursday.
Lacey Tillitt is accused of knowingly setting fire to her home on Oct. 28, 2024 before the flames spread to become the 166-acre Highlands Lake Fire in Teller County. She was arrested this week on a fourth-degree arson charge, a Class 2 felony, according to deputies with the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
“Because of the actions with which Tillitt is charged, over 700 homes were threatened, the entirety of the Highland Lakes area was evacuated, and the surrounding neighborhoods were put on pre-evacuation orders,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
The evacuation lasted three days and approximately 15 firefighting and medical agencies, along with firefighting aircraft and county and state law enforcement, supported the effort to contain the blaze.
Tillitt is being held on a $50,000 bond, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
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