TUCSON, Ariz. – Today, Dennis Dickey, 37, of Tucson, Ariz., pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of U.S. Forest Service regulations for igniting the Sawmill Fire, which caused more than $8 million worth of damage in April 2017. The Court scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 9, 2018. 
 
 On April 23, 2017, near Green Valley, Ariz., U.S. Border Patrol Agent Dickey, who was off-duty at the time, ignited a fire that spread to Coronado National Forest, federal land administered by the U.S. Forest Service. This fire was referred to as the “Sawmill Fire.” Dickey started the fire by shooting a rifle at a target. Dickey had placed Tannerite, a highly explosive substance, inside the target, intending for it to detonate when shot by a high-velocity firearm bullet. Dickey fired shots at the Tannerite target, ultimately causing an explosion that started a fire that spread and resulted in damage to more than 45,000 acres of land managed by the State of Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and various private landholders. Dickey immediately reported the fire to law enforcement, cooperated, and admitted that he started the fire. The total losses attributable to the fire, including suppression costs and damage to land and landholdings, totaled more than $8 million. 
 
 In his plea agreement, Dickey agreed to a sentence of five years’ probation, and to make a public service announcement with the U.S. Forest Service concerning the cause of the Sawmill fire. Dickey agreed to pay restitution totaling $8,188,069. Dickey also agreed to make an initial payment of $100,000 toward the restitution judgment and monthly payments thereafter. 
 
 The investigation in this case was conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Tucson. 
 
 CASE NUMBER: 18-MJ-03295-DTF 
 
 RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-123_Dickey 
 
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 For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az ||||| Smoke from the Wallow Wildfire obscures the sun at a road check point west of the Reserve, New Mexico June 13, 2011. 
 
 PHOENIX Two cousins who allegedly left a campfire unattended have been charged with starting Arizona's largest ever wildfire that torched more than 800 square miles of wilderness before it was contained. prosecutors said on Wednesday. 
 
 Caleb Joshua Malboeuf, 26, and David Wayne Malboeuf, 24, were charged with starting the so-called Wallow Fire on May 29, in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a news release. 
 
 The blaze raged for more than a month, scorching three dozen homes and businesses and displacing up to 10,000 people at its peak, while roaring through 840 square miles of ponderosa pine forests in eastern Arizona and into New Mexico. 
 
 The fire zone lies in the heart of the White Mountains, a picturesque area dotted with vacation cabins and popular as a retreat for Arizonans seeking to escape the summer heat. Fighting it cost over $79 million. 
 
 "Our national forests are among our most precious resources and we all have a responsibility to care for them when we visit," Dennis K. Burke, U.S. Attorney of the District of Arizona said in a statement. 
 
 "This devastating fire destroyed pristine national forest, scenic wilderness, and numerous nearby homes and cabins. Its cost for future generations goes well beyond the resources used to fight it," he added. 
 
 The Malboeuf cousins, both from southern Arizona, were charged on five counts including causing timber to burn, leaving a fire unattended and unextinguished and building a campfire without removing all surrounding flammable material. 
 
 An investigation found that the blaze started after the cousins left an unattended campfire in the Bear Wallow area. The fire smoldered out of a containment ring and quickly spread in high winds after they had gone on a hike. 
 
 Noticing smoke, the cousins tried to return to their campsite where they had left their gear. But as they got closer, the smoke and flames became too intense, and they were forced to retreat, the office said. 
 
 During June as several wildfires raged in the Mexico border state, Arizona Senator John McCain sparked controversy when he said there was "substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally." 
 
 The Arizona Republican and former Republican presidential candidate made the comment at a news conference after paying a visit to the site of the Wallow Fire. Critics accused him of trying to single out undocumented immigrants as scapegoats before the cause of the fires had been officially determined. 
 
 The Malboeuf cousins are scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Flagstaff, Ariz. on September 19. 
 
 A conviction for each of the offenses charged in the complaint carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a $5,000 fine or both. 
 
 (Editing by Greg McCune) ||||| Two Southern Arizona cousins have been charged in connection with the half-million acre Wallow Fire in May. 
 
 Caleb and David Malboeu are accused of leaving a campfire unattended while hiking, causing the wildfire that burned for weeks in Arizona's mountains, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. 
 
 Caleb Joshua Malboeuf, 26, of Benson, and David Wayne Malboeuf, 24, of Tucson, are charged with five counts: Causing Timber to Burn, Leaving a Fire Unattended and Unextinguished, Leaving a Fire Without Completely Extinguishing It, Causing and Failing to Maintain Control of a Fire and Building a Campfire Without Removing All Flammable Material From Around the Campfire Adequate to Prevent its Escape, said Sandy Raynor in a press release. 
 
 The two are scheduled to make an initial appearance in a Flagstaff federal court Sept. 19. 
 
 "The fire, fueled by dry and windy conditions, destroyed 32 residential structures, four commercial structures and 36 outbuildings and cost over $79 million to fight," Raynor said. 
 
 "Our national forests are among our most precious resources and we all have a responsibility to care for them when we visit," U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke said in the release. his devastating fire destroyed pristine national forest, scenic wilderness, and numerous nearby homes and cabins. Its cost for future generations goes well beyond the resources used to fight it." 
 
 "Investigation into the source and origin of the Wallow Fire indicated that the fire started when an unattended and unextinguished campfire in the Bear Wallow area spread out of its fire ring and quickly spread in high winds after Caleb and David Malboeuf had gone on a hike. Upon noticing smoke from the direction of their campsite, the cousins attempted to get back to their campsite where they had left their gear. As they got closer, the smoke and flames became too intense, and they were forced to retreat," Raynor said. 
 
 The Malboeufs began a camping trip near the Bear Wallow Trailhead on May 28, according to the indictment written by Forest Service investigator Lucas Woolf: 
 
 They hiked down into the wilderness and set up camp just below the confluence ofthe North and South Forks of Bear Wallow Creek, which is in Greenlee County. They stated that they built a campfire in a campfire ring that evening and cooked dinner over the fire. The Malboeufs stated that they let the fire go out on its own that evening and took no action to extinguish it. The next morning, May 29, 2011, at around 8:00 AM they built another fire in the same campfire ring and cooked breakfast over the fire. They then stayed in camp until 11 :00 AM or noon before leaving camp to go down canyon for a hike. They stated that they believed their campfire was out because David threw a candy wrapper in the fire just prior to their departure and it did not melt. When asked by your affiant how they extinguished their fire prior to leaving camp, Caleb stated that because they were in camp for three to four hours after cooking over the fire, the fire had burned out on its own. The Malboeufs then stated that they left camp and hiked down canyon for approximately one to two miles. During their trip back up canyon to their camp they could smell and see smoke coming from the proximity of their camp. When they were a few hundred yards from their camp they saw that a fire was burning on both sides of the drainage and up canyon from their camp. They tried to return to camp to cut their dogs loose, which they had left tied up in camp, but could not get close because of the fire and smoke. They then decided to run from the area and head down canyon towards the Black River, where they remained overnight. The next morning they hiked up river to Wildcat Crossing (intersection of Forest Road 25 and the Black River) and received a ride from an Apache County Deputy back to their vehicle, which was parked at the Bear Wallow Trailhead. 
 
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 On July 16, 2011 your affiant conducted a non-custodial interview of David Malboeuf, at his residence in Tucson, AZ, regarding the Wallow Fire. David continued to be cooperative, forthcoming, and consistent with his account ofhis camping trip with Caleb Malboeuf into the Bear Wallow Wilderness beginning on May 28, 2011. In addition to David's earlier account (see paragraph 5) of his trip into the Bear Wallow Wilderness, David stated that he and Caleb built a cooking fire in an established campfire ring in their camp for the purpose of cooking dinner. David said that they did not remove any flammable material away from this campfire ring before building their fire and that the campfire ring only contained old ashes. David also reiterated that they took no action to extinguish their campfire that night and allowed the fire to go out on its own. David then stated that on Sunday morning, around 08:00 AM, he built another cooking fire within the same campfire ring for the purpose of cooking breakfast. Once again, David stated that he and Caleb stayed in camp until around noon before leaving camp for a hike. Prior to leaving, he threw a "Gummie Bear" wrapper on the fire and noticed that the wrapper did not melt, thus making him believe that the fire was out and no longer contained any heat. David said that because of this assumption they did not take any action to extinguish their fire prior to their departure. David also mentioned that he was surprised by how fast the wood they used in their campfire burned up, thus reassuring him that their campfire was out and that the wood was totally consumed. 
 
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 On July 23, 2011 your affiant conducted a non-custodial interview of Caleb Malboeuf, near his residence in Benson, AZ, regarding the Wallow Fire. Caleb also continued to be cooperative, forthcoming, and consistent with his account of his camping and hiking trip with David Malboeuf into the Bear Wallow Wilderness beginning on May 28, 2011. In addition to Caleb's earlier account (see paragraph 5) of their camping and hiking trip into the Bear Wallow Wilderness Caleb stated that he remembers them camping in a well used campsite. It consisted ofa flat area adjacent to Bear Wallow Creek, and contained an existing rock campfire ring. Caleb pointed out to your affiant, on an Apache National Forest map, where he believed their camp was located. He indicated their camp to be in Township 3N, Range 28E, Section 16,just below the confluence of the North and South Forks ofBear Wallow Creek. Caleb went on to say that the campfire ring is where he and David built their cooking fires on both Saturday and Sunday. He indicated that they did not need to clear any flammable material away from the campfire ring because it was a well used campsite and no brush was near the ring. Caleb said that David started the fire on Sunday morning for the purpose of cooking breakfast and not for recreational use. Consequently, it was a relatively small fire. Caleb again stated that they took no action to extinguish their campfires on Saturday and Sunday because they had attended the fires long enough that they felt confident that the fires went out on their own. Caleb again mentioned David throwing a wrapper on the fire prior to their departure from camp on Sunday, and said that the wrapper did not "shrivel" or melt which indicated to Caleb that the fire was out and contained no heat. Caleb went on to mention that the weather conditions were "windy all day," but that he was not concerned about their fire escaping because he believed it was out and that there were no hot coals available to blowout of the campfire ring. Caleb also said that they had not taken a shovel or bucket with them into the wilderness, and had not used water or dirt to extinguish the cooking fires. Both Caleb and David Malboeuf stated to your affiant that they are experienced campers and are very familiar with the Apache National Forest, frequenting the forest for years. Caleb and David both stated that they believe they took every precaution needed to prevent the escape of their campfire and that in no way did they intend to cause a forest fire.
– Blue smoke indicating Dennis Dickey would be the father to a baby boy was briefly visible. But the flames erupting at the off-duty Border Patrol agent's gender-reveal party on state land in Green Valley, Ariz., quickly stole the focus, per the Arizona Daily Star. A man warned those gathered in the Santa Rita Mountain foothills to prepare to leave the grassy area seconds after Dickey used a high-velocity firearm to shoot a target filled with explosive Tannerite and colored powder, as seen in a newly released video from April 23, 2017—the day Dickey calls "probably one of the worst days of my life." The so-called Sawmill Fire eventually spread to become a 47,000-acre wildfire that caused $8 million in damage, though thankfully no injuries. Per the Arizona Republic, some 100 people were forced from their homes, however, as flames moved into the Coronado National Forest and beyond. Dickey initially agreed to pay $8.1 million in restitution, but as that would be "like getting blood from a stone," per his attorney, he'll now make an initial payment of $100,000, then monthly payments of $500 for 20 years to help cover a $220,000 penalty after pleading guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of causing a fire without a permit, per the Star. Authorities say Dickey—also sentenced to five years' probation—immediately reported the fire, admitted to starting it, and cooperated with an investigation. The video of the incident, released Monday by the US Forest Service on a request from the Star, conceals the identities of two people who appear on camera, with an official citing privacy protection. (A Georgia man made the poor decision to shoot at a lawn mower filled with Tannerite.)