A 59-year-old man is facing a felony and a misdemeanor after deputies say an investigation linked him to a wildfire near Wildernest on Wednesday, Aug. 27, according to a social media post by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Crews responded to the 10-foot-by-10-foot fire that was climbing into nearby trees and determined it was associated with a campsite on near the Buffalo Cabin Trail, which is in the backcountry of unincorporated Summit County. Firefighters were able to fully extinguish the flames.

The following day, deputies returned to the area after someone reported seeing smoke and contacted a man who was sitting next to an active campfire that was in violation of Stage 2 fire restrictions.

“Deputies established probable cause linking (the man) to the previous day’s fire,” according to the post.

The man was booked into the Summit County Detention Facility on a felony charge of firing woods/prairie during Stage 2 fire restrictions and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful conduct on public property.

Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons stated that recent moisture helped prevent the fire from spreading, but he noted that had the fire occurred a few weeks ago, the “outcome could have been devastating.

“Please continue to report any suspected fires immediately,” FitzSimons stated, noting that officials take violations of fire restrictions very seriously since they threaten the community.

Summit County’s fire restrictions moved to Stage 1 on Friday at 12:01 a.m., but campfires are only permitted in developed campgrounds within permanent fire rings or on private property with a permit from a local fire protection district. Smoking is only allowed in designated areas or inside vehicles, and there are limits on use of certain equipment. A full list of regulations for fire restrictions can be found at SummitSheriffColorado.gov/services/fire_restrictions/php.

The arrest comes after Summit County experienced “extreme” fire danger in recent weeks, and Colorado has seen multiple wildfires cause evacuations and highway closures due to drought conditions and above normal temperatures, including the Derby Fire in Eagle County and the Lee Fire, which became the 4th largest wildfire in Colorado history, in Rio Blanco County.