Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ELK RIDGE — Police have arrested a volunteer firefighter in connection with a string of arsons in the southern tip of Utah County.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's office said that six suspicious fires were lit in Loafer Canyon between June 25 and July 2, which piqued the interest of authorities.
"The nature of the fires made us a little suspicious of how and who might have been involved in this," Cannon said. "As it turns out, the individual who was arrested was a volunteer firefighter with the Elk Ridge Fire Department."
Kade Johnson, 18, is suspected in the crime and was arrested Tuesday evening. Cannon said that another arrest could be made.
The fires never developed to a life-threatening level, and volunteer firefighters were able to control them quickly, though both thick brush and apartments encompass the surrounding areas, according to Cannon.
"He's supposed to be on our side," Cannon said, referring to the fact that the man was a firefighter. "This happens occasionally. What's going through their mind we don't know, except that someone who is supposed to be with us in this regard has turned against us."
