Boulder County, Colo. - This morning at approximately 2:15 a.m. the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area of Arapahoe Ave. and Valtec Lane on a welfare check for a male laying on the sidewalk. When a deputy approached the male, he fled on foot.

While in the area deputies smelled smoke and spotted a saw a small fire, approximately 20’ in diameter, nearby. Firefighters arrived on-scene and were able to quickly extinguish the fire. Shortly thereafter, first responders saw another small fire, approximately 10’ in diameter, in the grass about 75 yards to the west, near Legion Park. Firefighters were able to also quickly extinguish that fire as well.

While responding to the second fire, a deputy saw a male run across Arapahoe Ave. heading southbound into a field. The suspect was wearing clothing that matched the male that was contacted earlier during the welfare check. After of search of the area, we were unable to locate the suspect. The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.

The following agencies assisted with this incident: Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder Police Department, Boulder Emergency Squad, Louisville Fire Department, and Rocky Mountain Fire.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number is: 20-3649.

###

/s/ Carrie Haverfield, Public Information Specialist