FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested a California man and charged him with starting a 350-acre wildfire burning near downtown Flagstaff that prompted evacuations of homes and a hotel.
Flagstaff city spokeswoman Kimberly Ott says 54-year-old Randall Wayne Nicholson is facing a charge of burning of a wildland, a misdemeanor. Ott says no hometown was listed for him.
Ott says investigators believe Nicholson was camping in the area where the fire started and built a small fire Saturday for either cooking or making coffee. Ott says Nicholson is believed to have dumped hot coals from his campfire underneath an open grill on the ground.
Nicholson is being held on a $2,500 bond.
