An illegal immigrant has been arrested for arson by Colorado authorities—after he started a forest fire that destroyed more than 50,000 acres.
Jesper Joergensen, who is in the country illegally from Denmark, is currently held by the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office. After he faces his arson charges, he will be handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In a Facebook post from the sheriff’s department, they confirmed that “the initial cause of the fire was human caused.”
“The investigation was lead by our office with the assistance of CBI, State arson investigators, CSP, and Immigration and Customs agents,” the sheriff’s department added on Facebook. “Jesper Joergensen, 52, was arrested without incident by Costilla County deputies. Jesper is being held on Arson charges. The investigation is still on going so information on this matter is limited.
The fire, dubbed the Spring Fire, is burning about 160 miles south of Denver near the town of Fort Garland.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters over the weekend, crews are dealing with hot and windy weather—and the fire is just 5 percent contained.
It is currently the worst forest fire burning in Colorado.
