Arrest Made In Connection With The Start Of The Pipeline Fire Near Flagstaff

An arrest has been made in connection with the start of the Pipeline Fire burning near Flagstaff, which is now at an estimated 45-hundred acres burned. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says the U.S. Forest Service made the arrest soon after the fire’s start, which was possibly started by a campfire. At around 11 a.m., CCSO responded to a report of a fire off Snowbowl Road. Soon after, witnesses told authorities of a white pickup truck leaving the area of the fire. Deputies later spotted that same vehicle and performed a traffic stop. Arrested was 57-year-old man Matthew Riser, who was the driver of the vehicle. He was detained until Federal Law Enforcement Officers from the US Forest Service arrived. Law enforcement Patrol Captain Andy Pederson says “the investigation into the cause of the Pipeline Fire is ongoing and, in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, we cannot discuss any details of the investigation.” The man was arrested and booked into Coconino County Sheriff’s Detention Facility for Federal Natural Resource Violations. The incident is still under investigation by the US Forest Service.