Arizona wildfire suspect arrested

A man arrested for allegedly causing the first of two wildfires which merged into the blaze that destroyed more than 400 homes in eastern Arizona is to appear in court today.

Pete Pierce, a spokesman for the agencies investigating the cause of the largest wildfire ever in Arizona, did not release the man’s name or any details about the circumstances leading to his arrest last night.

The man would be arraigned today before a federal magistrate in Flagstaff.

The Arizona Republic newspaper, citing a federal source, reported on its Web site that the arrested man was a Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighter.

Ben Nuvamsa, BIA superintendent on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, said he could not comment on the report because he did not have details.

The man was accused of causing the Rodeo fire, which broke out June 18 just north of the reservation town of Cibecue.

The fire exploded up steep terrain, threatened the small city of Show Low and overran two towns just to the west.

That fire then merged with another started by a lost hiker signalling a helicopter, forming a mammoth blaze that had burned 452,000 acres by yesterday.

In all, at least 423 homes were destroyed.

Paul Charlton, US Attorney for Arizona, was to hold a news conference on the arrest today, Pierce said.