GREAT FALLS — Dennis D. Larson of Hot Springs was taken to the Lake County jail on Thursday and booked on a charge of felony negligent arson.
Larson is 63 years old, according to Lake County Sheriff Donald Bell; he is charged in connection with a fire east of Wild Horse Springs on Wednesday.
Sheriff Bell said in a Facebook post: "On August 26, 2020 at around 3:30 pm, the Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department requested the assistance of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office due to a large fire at Wild Horse Hotsprings. Deputies responded and provided aid to the fire department by clearing out onlookers on nearby roads who were creating challenges to fire implement access. A subsequent investigation by deputies in coordination with Hotsprings VFD, led to the arrest of 63 year old, Dennis D. Larson, of Hotsprings, MT. Larson was taken to the Lake County Jail and booked on the charge of felony negligent arson."
There were no reported injuries.
(1st REPORT) A fire near Hot Springs on Wednesday afternoon burned several small structures.
The Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department called for mutual aid to assist with a large fire east of Wild Horse Hot Springs at 3:30 p.m.
Six additional departments were on scene to battle the large fire that was burning through the compound, according to Jane Clapp with the Polson Rural Fire Department.
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Fire officials say the area was surrounded by stacks of old tires which fueled the blaze and made extinguishing the fire difficult.
Several small structures, camping trailers, and a vehicle were destroyed.
However, Clapp says crews managed to minimize the spread of the fire and saved several other structures from burning.
Air resources were also used to aid in the prevention of spreading to an adjacent field.
There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but officials believe it may have been human-caused.
The Hot Springs, Polson Rural, Polson City, Chief Cliff, Ronan and Rollins fire departments all responded to the scene as well as the CSKT Division of Fire.
