(KF1) Did the Alexander Mountain fire suspect view himself as a ‘hero’ in the arson case?
The man accused of sparking the nearly 10,000-acre Alexander Mountain Fire in
Larimer County acted as a “self-proclaimed fire manager” and wanted to be seen
as “the hero,” according to court documents obtained by Denver7 Friday.
LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — The man accused of sparking the nearly 10,000-acre
Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County acted as a “self-proclaimed fire
manager” and wanted to be seen as “the hero,” according to court documents
obtained by Denver7 Friday.
The fire sparked on July 29 near Drake north of Highway 34 and burned 9,668
acres over about three weeks. On Aug. 9, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed that
the fire was human-caused, but no other specifics were available at the time.
Officials had previously referenced signs of human activity near where the fire
apparently started.
More than 5,000 people evacuated, but no injuries were reported. However, the
fire destroyed about 29 homes and 21 outbuildings and damaged four additional
homes. The firefight cost an estimated $11 million, while the fire damage was
estimated to be more than $30 million, according to court documents.
During a press conference on Sept. 11, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and
the U.S. Forest Service identified Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, of Loveland as a
suspect in the fire. He faces charges of first-degree arson, two counts of
impersonating a peace officer, felony menacing, false imprisonment and
impersonating a public servant. He was taken into custody on Sept. 10 and issued
a $450,000 cash/surety bond.
Hobby was an employee at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch — a family-owned,
3,200-acre property in the foothills west of Loveland — until he was identified
as a suspect during the course of the investigation, said Larimer County Sheriff
John Feyen during the press conference. The ranch then terminated his
employment.
Watch the full press conference below:
Full press conference: Arrest in Alexander Mountain Fire investigation
According to court documents, investigators determined that the fire originated
from a three-feet by three-feet makeshift rock fire pit located 1.4 miles away
from a residence adjacent to the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. There were three wood
logs — two to the west and one to the south — located near the fire pit.
Investigators also found foil lids for yogurt containers, containers of yogurt
and a sardine can inside the pit, court documents state.
The affidavit says the fire burned for “a period of time” before reports started
coming into the sheriff’s office.
Investigators determined that someone tried to “suppress or extinguish fire in
the origin area.” They spotted “debris, foliage and grass that was pulled away
from trees to prevent those trees from burning,” according to court documents.
The affidavit says there were also fresh cuts made to trees using a chainsaw.
Authorities noticed a person’s boot footprints that were “haphazardly” scattered
throughout the origin area. Investigators determined that the footprints
belonged to a man’s size 12 boot with Vibram soles.
Denver7
During the investigation, authorities interviewed several employees of the
Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Many fingered Hobby as a potential suspect, according
to court documents. He reportedly was the “self-proclaimed fire manager” of the
ranch and lived at a home close to the origin of the fire.
The affidavit says Hobby was disciplined by the ranch owners on July 23 for
“conducting unauthorized armed (firearm) law enforcement duties on the property,
by wearing a uniform with law enforcement “Ranger” insignia, and operating
several vehicles with a “Ranger” star on the door.” He allegedly had a history
of “aggressively” confronting people about trespassing.
Hobby reportedly told the ranch owners that he was a firefighter in Wyoming and
allegedly said he traveled to the state on his off days to help fight fires. The
affidavit says Hobby owned a marked fire department vehicle — a white Ford
pickup truck with emergency lights and equipment. The truck had “Twin Butte Fire
Protection” in blue lettering on the doors, as well as “Brush-236” and “Fire.”
Affidavit: Man suspected of sparking Alexander Mountain Fire wanted to be seen
as ‘the hero’
Hobby allegedly told the ranch manager that he was going to be in Douglas,
Wyoming, on July 29 — the day the fire started. However, the affidavit says the
manager saw Hobby on the ranch less than 90 minutes after the initial reported
start of the fire. He was allegedly with another unknown person wearing
“firefighting Nome uniforms.” The affidavit explains that Nomex is a “fire
retardant/ resistant fabric commonly used by professional firefighters to
protect them from catching fire.”
Staff at the ranch told the manager they heard firearms being fired near
Alexander Mountain before the fire sparked, according to the affidavit.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Hobby’s home on Aug. 7. According to
the affidavit, deputies seized several items during the search, including:
- A United States Fire Service t-shirt
- Four Montrose Wildland Fire shirts
- A United States Forest Service – Arapahoe Roosevelt uniform jacket
- A Colorado Wildland Fire Management sweatshirt
- Four United States Forest Service t-shirts
- Five pairs of various boots with Vibram soles
- One pair of firefighter bunker gear pants
- Four black Twin Butte Fire Protection and Wildland Management t-shirts
- Five blue Twin Butte Fire Protection and Wildland Management t-shirts with
badges on them - Two fire helmets — one from the U.S. Forest Service and the other from Twin
Butte Fire Protection and Wildland Management - One yellow Nomex fire-resistant suit belonging to the US Forest Service
- One green marmot US Forest Service Fire Service jacket
- One gray Twin Butte Fire Protection jacket
- One black Velocity System uniform shirt with “Chief Hobby” on it
- One 5.11 pull-over sweatshirt with “Chief Hobby” printed on it
- Five “various” fire helmets
- Five “various” Nomex fire uniform jackets
- One Montrose Hell Fighters identification
- A map of Cedar Creek Road
- An Alexander Mountain Fire incident plan
- A “wildfire cause and origin determination book”
- A State of Wyoming magnet
- Several fire department pack-set radios
- Photographs of “law enforcement style equipment to include tactical vests,
holsters, patches and weapons” - “Items that can start fires,” which included lighters, matches, firecrackers
and flares
The same day his home was searched, Hobby consented to an interview. He told
investigators he was not in Colorado when the fire started and was working as a
firefighter in Manville, Wyoming, on July 28 and July 29, according to the
affidavit. However, the court document says Hobby was in Manville working on a
truck that had broken down.
According to the affidavit, a friend of Hobby’s drove him to Manville on July
28, which is about 3.5 hours north of Loveland. Investigators obtained
surveillance video reportedly showing Hobby at a Napa Auto Parts Store in Lusk,
Wyoming, on July 29. He was seen leaving the store just before 8 a.m., according
to court documents.
Investigators asked Hobby to take a polygraph examination. The court document
says Hobby was asked if he started the Alexander Mountain Fire, and he said no.
The polygraph examiner reported that Hobby failed the exam and was untruthful
during that question, according to the affidavit.
Local
ALEXANDER MOUNTAIN FIRE BURNS SITE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION NONPROFIT
The affidavit references an interview with a manager of the Heart-J Center, a
nonprofit that helps people connect with nature. The Heart-J Center has operated
from the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch for the past decade, and the family who owns
the ranch plans to one day transfer the ranch to the nonprofit’s management.
The manager told investigators they were “concerned that Hobby created this
incident to insert himself as the hero in the eyes of staff after his recent
disciplinary work history,” according to the affidavit. The manager said the
property owners had compiled a “lengthy list of infractions” reportedly
committed by Hobby over the past two years. The list included allegations of
bullying and harassment, as well as incidents involving a firearm, court
documents state.
The manager recalled that one of the ranch owners asked Hobby to be the “ranch
security officer” in the summer of 2022. Hobby allegedly began wearing a uniform
and driving a “personally owned vehicle with indicators of “Sylvan Dale Ranger”
with emergency lights equipped.” He also began conducting traffic stops using
his personal vehicle, according to the manager.
The ranch owners demoted Hobby from his security duties in July 2024, the
affidavit states. After he was demoted, Hobby reportedly told fellow staff
members that he felt “persecuted and ganged up on.”
Hobby was also allegedly against the ranch being transferred to the Heart-J
Center. He reportedly “expressed anger, hatred, and fear of the plans for the
land to go to the Heart-J Center.” The affidavit says Hobby told another
employee, “Things would be better if the Heart-J Center exploded.” About 1,240
acres of the Sylvan Dale Ranch that was to be donated to the nonprofit was
burned in the Alexander Mountain Fire, according to court documents.
At one point, the Heart-J Center partnered with the Loveland Fire Rescue
Authority to burn “slash piles” in the Cedar Park area. Hobby was allegedly
upset that he was “not included in these discussions being the self-proclaimed
Fire Manager of the property.” Due to the interference, the nonprofit canceled
its plans, and the piles were not burned, according to the manager.
As the Alexander Mountain Fire burned, Hobby allegedly entered evacuated and
restricted areas of the ranch and gave staff “updates as to the damage and the
direction of the fire’s travels.”
The affidavit discusses a meeting that was held at the fire incident command
post on July 30. Hobby and several Heart-J Center employees were reportedly in
attendance. During that meeting, Hobby said he knew how the fire started and
claimed it was from an unattended campfire on Alexander Mountain, according to
court documents. However, the affidavit says investigators did not determine the
cause of the fire until Aug. 3.
Denver7 | Gives
HOW TO HELP BOULDER, JEFFERSON AND LARIMER COUNTY WILDFIRE VICTIMS
During their investigation, authorities talked with two brothers who traveled to
Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch to photograph big horn sheep on March 23. One brother
told investigators they went to the ranch’s front office and spoke to employees,
who gave them permission to be on the property.
According to the affidavit, the two entered the property on the dirt roads to
the southwest side of the property. They mistakenly ended up on a canal access
road, which did not have signage and was not barricaded, the court document
states.
The affidavit says the two got out of their vehicle and started to gather their
camera equipment when they spotted a white Chevrolet Tahoe with flashing lights
“speed up to them at a very quick speed.”
According to the brothers, a man wearing a uniform “resembling a law enforcement
officer” got out of the vehicle and pointed a handgun at them. He reportedly
said the brothers were under arrest for trespassing. After a few moments, the
man “changed his behavior, deescalated and offered to take them to a different
part of the ranch where they would have a better view of the sheep.” The
brothers said the man guided them to a different portion of the ranch and “then
joked with them, acting as if he was issuing them a citation.”
The brothers provided pictures of the man, and investigators identified him as
Hobby, according to court documents. They also sent photos of the vehicle, which
had “decals similar to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office badge or the Larimer
County Department of Natural Resources “Park Rangers” badge affixed to the
doors,” the affidavit states.
Denver7
Investigators also obtained a video that Hobby had allegedly sent from inside
the Alexander Mountain Fire area to several employees from the Heart-J Center
and Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. In the video, Hobby is reportedly seen at the top
of Storm Mountain on the ranch, which was a restricted area at the time. He was
allegedly wearing a wildland fire uniform and a helmet that had a Twin Buttes
Fire Protection and Wildland Management emblem.
In the video, Hobby allegedly said he responded to the area “to fight the fire,
and that the real firefighters were staging outside the area.” The affidavit
says Hobby “appeared in his statement to be upset that firefighters were not in
that area fighting the fire.”
According to the court documents, investigators spotted a cabin building that
was “very remote and approximately 1/2 mile from the nearest access point to the
property and the residential area of Sylvan Dale Ranch” as well as a yellow fuel
can in the video.
Authorities went to the cabin on Aug. 23 and spotted “what appeared to be drip
can activity” as well as burn areas that indicated “someone tried to start a
back burn or fire mitigation around the cabin,” according to the affidavit.
Someone also allegedly used a chainsaw to cut bushes and shrubs away from the
cabin.
The affidavit says a yellow can that contained a “reddish fuel” was found in the
same spot that was seen in the video.
Denver7 Investigates
RECORDS DETAIL CRIMINAL RECORD LINKED TO ALEXANDER MOUNTAIN FIRE SUSPECT
Investigators looked into Hobby’s claim that he was a firefighter in Wyoming.
The affidavit explains people interested in becoming a wildland firefighter must
attend training and obtain a “Red Card.” Firefighters must then carry that card
when working and present it when asked, according to the court document.
The affidavit says Hobby was not issued a Red Card. Investigators also learned
that a man “resembling Hobby” had shown up to fires in Natrona County, Wyoming,
and worked with crews but left without being paid for his work, according to
court documents.
Three Wyoming counties — Natrona, Converse and Platte — did not have a record of
Hobby or his business, Twin Buttes Fire Protection, according to court
documents. The affidavit says the Wyoming State Forestry also did not have a
record of Hobby being a certified firefighter or wildland firefighter.
During their investigation, authorities dug into Hobby’s criminal history.
Following his arrest, Denver7 Investigates obtained court records from Riverside
County, California, where Hobby had previously faced criminal charges. The
records revealed Hobby was arrested on July 4, 1999.
According to the court documents, Hobby was arrested for not having “private
security” patches. He was eventually charged with manufacturing, importing, and
selling weapons, failing to carry valid security ID, and wearing a baton without
registering it.
All charges were dismissed due to a violation of the defendant’s rights to a
speedy trial, according to a spokesperson for the Riverside County District
Attorney’s Office.
Hobby’s arrest affidavit lists his criminal history as follows:
- April 1996: Arrested for carrying a loaded firearm in a public place in San
Bernadino, California. A disposition was not listed. - February 1997: Arrested for impersonating a public official in San Bernadino,
California. He was found guilty and sentenced to jail time and probation. - July 1997: Arrested for impersonating a public official in Rancho Cucamonga,
California. He was convicted of false imprisonment and sentenced to jail time
and 36 months of probation. He also received a fine. - November 1997: Arrested for impersonating a public official and carrying a
loaded firearm in a public place in San Bernadino, California - July 1999: Arrested for carrying a loaded firearm in a public place in
Lakewood, California - July 1999: Arrested for wearing an improper uniform and failing to properly
identify while working as a security guard in Corona, California - May 2000: Arrested for carrying a loaded firearm in public in Montebello,
California - July 2001: Arrested for theft by misrepresentation as a cardholder in Pomona,
California - August 2001: Arrested for disturbing the peace and carrying a firearm in a
public place in San Bernadino, California. He pleaded guilty to disturbing
the peace. - September 2020: Arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon and failing to
obtain licenses to be a security guard in Riverside, California
Hobby does not have a criminal history in Colorado or Wyoming, according to his
affidavit.
Watch our previous Denver7 Investigates coverage in the video player below:
Records detail criminal record linked to man arrested in connection to Alexander
Mountain Fire
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