According to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 5:46 p.m., deputies arrested two male suspects in connection with the Oak Fire started by an illegal burn at 152 Oak Drive in Aspen Springs.
The fire began at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10.
“The burn was in violation of the Second Amended and Restated Ordinance no. 18-2017 for the regulation of open burning in the unincorporated areas of Archuleta County,” an ACSO press release states.
The press release notes both suspects, Sergio Alaniz Jr., 41, and Ross Heirigs, 60, were arrested on multiple accounts of fourth-degree arson.
The press release notes the fire originated from a burn barrel and “quickly spread through the subdivision, spotting approximately a half a mile into a neighboring subdivision.”
It adds that firefighting aerial resources and first responders managed to contain the fire at 75 acres the evening of Aug. 10, with Pagosa Fire Protection District Chief Robert Bertram explaining air resources were called in as soon as it was evident the fire was not a structure fire as it was originally paged out.
According to Bertram, the fire was deemed out on Saturday, Aug. 16 — the last day of state funding and having a Type 4 incident management team assigned to the fire.
Bertram indicated a lot of things fell into place well in terms of management of the fire.
“For us, it was great to see the community support,” he said, adding several businesses stepped up to feed the firefighters assigned to the fire.
Initial court appearances
Both suspects appeared in court on Monday, Aug. 18, with District Court Judge Jeffrey Wilson setting bond for each at $25,000 cash surety and issuing protection orders for both to not set or maintain outdoor fires.
Deputy District Attorney Mac Dudley sought for bond to be set at $100,000 cash surety for both suspects, also asking that they not be allowed to set or maintain fires.
Alaniz appeared first in court, with Dudley noting Alaniz is facing hundreds of potential charges.
Wilson later indicated he faced the potential of 169 counts of second- and third-degree felonies being filed.
Alaniz was represented by Deputy State Public Defender Derek Maitland.
Heirigs was not yet represented by an attorney, with Wilson noting one would be appointed for him.
During Heirigs’ hearing, Wilson stated, “It’s pretty serious in terms of what they’re charging you with.”
Both are slated to appear in front of Archuleta County Court Judge Justin Fay for a return filing of charges on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
As of Wednesday morning, Alaniz remained in the Archuleta County jail.
Fire danger remains
The press release further reminds that Archuleta County remains under Stage 1 fire restrictions, with Bertram also noting that we are still experiencing the same dry conditions.
Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs remain under Stage 1 restrictions.
Public lands within Archuleta County that are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are under Stage 2 restrictions.
On Wednesday, the San Juan National Forest listed the fire danger as extreme.
randi@pagosasun.com
