Etched on a rock near where the Bucktail Fire started were the words, “Rocket Dog, Rest in Peace Buddy.”
NUCLA, Colo. — Investigators looking for the cause of the Bucktail Fire in western Colorado last month discovered the partially burned remains of a dog — leading to the conclusion that a man’s attempted cremation of his pet sparked the fire.
Law enforcement arrested the 63-year-old man earlier this month, and he is charged with arson and trespassing, court documents show.
Authorities say the cremation ceremony started the Bucktail Fire on Aug. 1 near Nucla in Montrose County. The fire is estimated to have caused about $200,000 in damages and burned about 7,200 acres. One building was damaged. The burn is now 83% contained.
His dog, named Rocket, had been in a fight with another dog and was euthanized under court order in Nucla, a town on Colorado’s western border with Utah, according to the arrest …