Man accused of impersonating police and firefighters charged with arson in Alexander Mountain fire

Updated at 3:40 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024.

A 49-year-old ranch worker accused of pretending to be a police officer and firefighter has been arrested for sparking the destructive Alexander Mountain fire that ignited in July near Loveland, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said Wednesday. 

Jason Alexander Hobby was arrested and jailed on Sept. 10 after a joint investigation between the Larimer Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service. He has been charged with arson, menacing, false imprisonment and impersonating a police officer and public servant. He’s being held on a $450,000 bond after a Wednesday court appearance.

“The actions in this case represent about as an extreme danger to this community as I can frankly articulate," Gordon P. McLaughlin, 8th Judicial District Attorney, said during the court hearing. "The actions of Mr. Hobby have put an immense amount of people in this community at risk of injury or death to the extent that few if any other crimes do.”

At a Wednesday press conference, Feyen said Hobby worked at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch located near the base of Alexander Mountain, which was evacuated when the wildfire started. 

A representative for the guest ranch declined to comment.

Investigators believe the Alexander Mountain fire was sparked by a campfire ring located on the mountain, but Feyen would not say whether authorities believed the campfire was part of an intentional ploy to ignite a larger wildfire.

Investigators believe Hobby impersonated police and fire officials before and during the Alexander Mountain fire and was driving vehicles outfitted to look like law enforcement vehicles to gain access to the area, Feyer said. Police also say Hobby may have used the vehicles to conduct phony traffic stops, falsely accuse people of trespassing and pointed guns at them. One of the vehicles, a modified Ford pickup, was outfitted with equipment often seen on fire trucks used by wildland firefighters, the Sheriff’s office said.

A man who appeared at the court hearing and identified himself as a prior victim, Ryan Luther, told the judge Hobby was wearing a “ranger uniform” and impersonating an officer when he pointed a pistol in his face in 2023. 

“It was very scary,” Luther said.

At that court hearing, prosecutors said Hobby has a criminal history, including firearms violations in California, and is also under investigation for starting fires in Wyoming. Hobby answered a series of yes or no questions, but made no statement and was not required to enter a plea.

The Sheriff’s office said Hobby operated under a Wyoming business known as Twin Buttes Fire Protection, which was not an official fire organization. Records from the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office show Hobby as the registered owner of Twin Buttes Fire Protection and Wildland Fire Management, LLC. 

Jerod DeLay, the assistant state forester and fire management officer in Wyoming, told CPR News Hobby does not appear to be a certified wildland firefighter and the company doesn’t appear to be linked to a local or state fire department or an official fire protection district. 

The Alexander Mountain fire ignited on July 28 and burned more than 15 square miles of land in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. Hundreds of firefighters worked for nearly three weeks to control the blaze, which was fought with ground crews and days of nearly non-stop tanker drops from airplanes and helicopters. 

The fire was completely contained on Aug. 17. Four other homes and 21 outbuildings were also damaged, according to a report from the Larimer County Assessor’s Office.

In early August, authorities said the wildfire was likely human-caused and said investigators had found signs of human activity near the fire’s origin.

The Alexander Mountain fire was part of an outbreak of wildfires that ignited across the northern Front Range in July.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story referred to the Alexander Mountain fire as deadly. It destroyed property but did not lead to any loss of life.