5 facing charges in connection with fire on Colorado's Western Slope

Five people were arrested and charged in connection with the Yellow Jacket Fire, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office. The Yellow Jacket Fire burned 35 acres in the area northeast of Meeker this summer. 

Investigators said that they were able to preserve evidence while firefighters and air support were actively engaging with the fire. Rio Blanco County Sheriff's deputies said they were able to find evidence indicating the fire was likely human-caused. That's when they said an in-depth multi-agency investigation began, along with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the sheriff's office. 

Deputies said that the investigation resulted in the arrests of five people, Zachary Williams, Ashley Trujillo, Jason Ridgeway, Michael Lee Buhler and William Ekstrom Jr. They are facing several charges, including federal charges. Those charges include firing woods or prairie, possession of fireworks and entering a forest closure. 

The Rio Blanco Sheriff's Office said that this investigation was "particularly critical as Rio Blanco County was simultaneously managing the considerably larger Lee, Elk, and Crosho fires in the region, which placed significant demands on aerial and ground firefighting resources." 

Investigators said the diversion of air support and other firefighting efforts for the Yellow Jacket Fire presented public safety challenges.

The Lee Fire in northwest Colorado burned at least 137,758 acres in August, nearly almost as much as the Hayman Fire, which burned 137,760 acres between Denver and Colorado Springs in 2002. The Lee Fire is in the Top 5 for largest fires the state has seen in its recorded history after burning several homes and government structures.  

Meeker is about 225 miles west of Denver.