Suspect Arrested For Starting Fire Near Vail
Bassatt Walked Into Officers Looking For Chamonix Fire Suspect
POSTED: 5:37 p.m. MDT July 1, 2002
UPDATED: 6:21 p.m. MDT July 1, 2002
VAIL, Colo. -- A 49-year-old man from Michigan was arrested Monday for starting a fire that burned approximately 1 acre of Forest Service land near west Vail.
Patrick Bassatt was charged with second-degree arson in connection with the Chamonix Fire.
According to Vail Police, Bassatt was found by Vail officers walking down a hiking trail just west of where the fire began.
"He walked right into Vail Police who were in the area searching for a suspect," said Sgt. Detective Mike Warren. "He also was positively identified by a witness and admitted to being in the area."
The fire, which was 100 percent contained by 11:30 a.m. and declared completely out by 2:45 p.m., burned from 8:37 to 11:30 a.m. Monday.
No homes were threatened during the fire.
About 34 firefighters from several agencies along the Interstate 70 corridor were on scene, including crews from the U.S. Forest Service, Vail Fire Department, Eagle River Fire Protection District, Greater Eagle Fire, Gypsum Fire and the Eagle County Ambulance District.
An Air National Guard Helicopter was also called in to help search for the suspect.
Bassatt is being held at the Vail Police Department on $5,000 bond.
Formal federal charges are pending and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service.
If convicted, Bassatt could face two to six years in jail and a $2,000 to $500,000 fine.
Patrick Bassatt was charged with second-degree arson in connection with the Chamonix Fire.
According to Vail Police, Bassatt was found by Vail officers walking down a hiking trail just west of where the fire began.
"He walked right into Vail Police who were in the area searching for a suspect," said Sgt. Detective Mike Warren. "He also was positively identified by a witness and admitted to being in the area."
The fire, which was 100 percent contained by 11:30 a.m. and declared completely out by 2:45 p.m., burned from 8:37 to 11:30 a.m. Monday.
No homes were threatened during the fire.
About 34 firefighters from several agencies along the Interstate 70 corridor were on scene, including crews from the U.S. Forest Service, Vail Fire Department, Eagle River Fire Protection District, Greater Eagle Fire, Gypsum Fire and the Eagle County Ambulance District.
An Air National Guard Helicopter was also called in to help search for the suspect.
Bassatt is being held at the Vail Police Department on $5,000 bond.
Formal federal charges are pending and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service.
If convicted, Bassatt could face two to six years in jail and a $2,000 to $500,000 fine.
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
