Overview

• Each defendant faces a Colorado felony count of firing woods or prairie and a federal count of entering a forest closure, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.
• The five people taken into custody are Zachary Williams, Ashley Renae Trujillo, Jason Dwayne Ridgeway, Michael Lee Buhler, and William Argul Ekstrom Jr.
• Some suspects also face additional federal allegations, including possessing fireworks, removing wood without a permit, and fire during restrictions.
• The Yellowjacket Fire burned about 35 acres northeast of Meeker with no reported injuries or structural losses, and it was contained by the team managing the Lee and Elk fires.
• Investigators have not disclosed how the fire was allegedly ignited, and the case involves the sheriff’s office, Meeker police, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.