Person suspected of setting fires in Big Cottonwood Canyon taken into police custody

SALT LAKE CITY — A person suspected of setting several small fires in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday is in police custody. 

Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera told KSL that someone called 911 at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday to report somebody lighting fires in the Mount Olympus Wilderness Area.

“What we found when we got here was that there was a Utah National Guard helicopter in the air,” Rivera said. “They happened to hear the call, and they spotted the individual.” 

A Department of Public Safety helicopter was brought in to “maintain aerial observation” Rivera later said in a press release. When drones were deployed, the DPS helicopter began hoisting deputies and law enforcement into the area where the suspect was seen. Due to the nature of the terrain, Rivera said it took law enforcement several hours to get to the adult male suspect.

“They were able to keep eyes on this individual,” Rivera said, “and we had two of our deputies and two DPS deputies go into the location and take the individual into custody.”

Rivera said the suspect was being interviewed, but at the time of publication officials did not know what the suspect was attempting to do.

“We do know he lit several small fires. They smoldered out, so they did not spread. But this was a very dangerous situation,” Rivera said.

She said her agency is grateful that a National Guard helicopter was able to assist so quickly, and that a witness called for help. They ask anybody that sees something suspicious to do the same.

There were no large fires burning in Utah at the time of publication. But the National Interagency Fire Center recently reported that wildfires were spreading across the West earlier than usual, and that Utah is preparing for above-normal fire risk this summer. 

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