BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Two men have been arrested in connection with a fire in late July that was started by fireworks being shot off.
Cameron Brown, 20, and Alan Khoshaba, 26, are accused of lighting off the fireworks, sparking the fire at Panorama Point just off Flagstaff Road the night of July 31.
Boulder County was under a Stage 1 fire ban at the time.
According to an arrest affidavit, numerous witnesses reported seeing three people, two men and a woman, in the area before setting off fireworks. After the fireworks sparked the fire, the three people were seen leaving the area in a white SUV. One witness, according to the affidavit, said the vehicle had a white license plate with red lettering.
Using that information, investigators used vehicle databases and camera systems to identify a possible vehicle. They found that a white Jeep Grand Wagoneer was captured on a traffic camera driving through the intersection of Baseline Road and 9th Street around 9:46 p.m. That was shortly after the fire started and investigators determined it would have taken about three minutes for a vehicle to make it to that intersection from Panorama Point.
As a result, it was determined to be a vehicle of interest. Investigators determined it was a rental car that had been rented by Khoshaba's parents for his use. Investigators also found a traffic ticket with Khoshaba's name on it inside the vehicle.
On Aug. 2, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office issued a bulletin asking for the public's help in identifying two people caught on video lighting fireworks.
In the bulletin, Sheriff Curtis Johnson said, “We will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the life safety of the residents of Boulder County. We were under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, which prohibits the use of fireworks, with multiple wildfires burning, yet they still recklessly set off fireworks in a grassy and wooded area, which immediately caught fire. It’s only because firefighters were able to quickly get the fire under control that a tragedy didn’t take place.”
The day after that bulletin was put out, an attorney for the woman who was seen with Cameron and Khoshaba contacted the sheriff's office. She described what happened and said she was "pressured" to go along with them. She also provided investigators with a video.
According to the affidavit, Khoshaba "is clearly identifiable" in the video and is seen kneeling over the fireworks canister with what appears to be a lighter in his hand.
The woman indicated she was not aware there were any fireworks in the vehicle until they arrived at Panorama Point. She said after they got there Khoshaba placed the canister on the ground but said Brown said it "was not a good place" and moved the canister closer to the edge of the brush.
Brown and Khoshaba were arrested on suspicion of second-degree arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
Brown was booked in the Boulder County jail on Aug. 13. He was released the same day on a personal recognizance bond.
Khoshaba was taken into custody in West Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday. Boulder sheriff's officials said he remains in custody awaiting a hearing.