Three people whose campfire ignited what became the 1,400-acre Chateau Fire seven miles northwest of Cripple Creek, Colorado were sentenced in Teller County District Court last week. Some of the owners of the 11 homes that burned asked for compassion and community service rather than the maximum of 18 months prison time that could have been imposed.
According to The Gazette, Kegan Patrick Owens, 19 and David Michael Renfrow, 24 will serve 60 and 70 days, respectively, in jail. They will both be on probation for 10 years and were ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. A third person who is a juvenile was sentenced to counseling, substance abuse therapy, and 24 hours of community service.
Restitution has not yet been determined, but it could be in excess of a million dollars.
The fire was first reported on June 29, 2018.
We here in Hailey, Idaho never got word about the sentencing of the guy who ignited the Sharps fire, the second year in a row where exploding targets started massive fires in wildlife habitat.