Colorado man pleads guilty to starting wildfire while cremating dog
May 28, 2025, 2:28 PM | Updated: May 29, 2025, 10:37 am
I thought the electrocuted birds starting wildfires was the weirdest way one had started, but not so fast…
A western Colorado man is pleading guilty to starting a wildfire while cremating his dog.
Brent Garber told investigators that he put his deceased dog in a pit with wood and lit the wood on fire. He threw a spray can on the fire, which exploded and caught a tree on fire. A police officer said he spotted the man riding an ATV in the area where the fire started not long after it was reported. A rock placed near the scene of the fire reads “Oct 2017 – July 2024. Rocket Dog. Rest in Peace Buddy.”
The Bucktail Fire then started and quickly grew out of control, burning more than seven-thousand acres near Nucla.
Garber pleaded guilty to attempted arson Tuesday and will be sentenced on July 16th.
The Bucktail Fire burned more than 7,200 acres, making it the second-largest wildfire of the 2024 Colorado wildfire season.
