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The Grand County Sheriff's Office said its deputies, local
firefighters and Bureau of Land Management workers responded to
a report of Monday's blaze, which destroyed up to 40 acres of
old growth Cottonwood trees and other vegetation and threatened
several structures.
In a statement, the sheriff's office said a vehicle had become
stuck near where the fire started when the driver had tried to
turn around on the hillside.
The driver, Weston Frank Vetere of Green River, Utah, "told law
enforcement that he had started a fire as a signal for help,"
the statement said.
He was arrested and booked into the Grand County Jail on
suspicion of arson, it said.
It was not immediately clear whether Vetere has an attorney.
One firefighter sustained burns when he stepped into a hole
created by a burned-out stump and was transported to Moab
Regional Hospital, police said.
(Reporting by Daniel Wallis in Denver; Editing by Mohammad
Zargham)
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