A smoky sky glows ominously over eastern Arizona during the Wallow Fire.
A member of the San Carlos Apache tribe is accused of starting a recent wildfire that destroyed 21 homes and burned 3.3 square miles on the southeastern Arizona reservation, authorities said Wednesday.
Keanu Dude, 22, was arrested Tuesday by tribal police who said he is facing an arson charge for allegedly igniting the Watch Fire on July 10.
The wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 400 people.
The fire damaged power lines — causing a temporary power outage — and took a week to fully contain, authorities said.
A state of emergency was declared to help members of the tribe.
“While thankfully no one was injured, many face extreme hardship, losing their homes and all their possessions and were left with only the clothes on their back,” tribal Chairman Terry Rambler said in a statement.
Tribal officials said Dude is unemployed and has a criminal record and was being held in the San Carlos Adult Detention & Rehabilitation Center.
No other information about Dude’s arrest or possible motive was immediately released. It was unclear if he had a lawyer yet for his case.
“It saddens me deeply that a member of our tribe has been charged with starting this fire that devastated our community,” Rambler said.
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