A man convicted of starting the Colorado Gulch Fire west of Hailey, Idaho on July 6, 2014 has been ordered to pay $8,100 in restitution.
The Idaho Mountain Express reports that the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office determined that Mauricio Pedraza-Rodriguez, 19, started the fire by shooting fireworks from his vehicle. The fire burned 728 acres and forced the evacuation of 20 homes.
Mr. Pedraza-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor malicious injury of property by fire to public lands. In addition to the restitution, he also received a 90-day suspended jail sentence, two years of probation and 120 hours of community service.
The Bureau of Land Management has not so far sought restitution, but they expended $300,000 fighting the fire, while Wood River Fire and Rescue spent approximately $40,000.
The $8,100 Mr. Pedraza-Rodriguez has been ordered to pay will go toward repairing damage that occurred on private property.
