A federal search for a pair of Vans sneakers led to the discovery that a man and his girlfriend may have been involved in at least six wildfires in New Mexico. One of these fires, the Salt Fire, burned nearly 8,000 acres of land, according to a court record.
An FBI agent recently released a search warrant document in which they talked about their investigation into 16 strange fires that happened on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, which is near Ruidoso, New Mexico. Early in May, the FBI started looking into what happened. Last month, after the Salt Fire burned more than 7,000 acres of forests on the reservation, other federal agencies joined the probe.
All sixteen fires were found to have been “human-caused.” There were fires in a 25-square-mile area from May 3 to June 18.
According to authorities, the Salt Fire was the most destructive of the 16. It took resources away from the South Fork Fire, which was naturally caused and destroyed over 1,400 homes and killed two people. About two hours after the South Fork was reported, the Salt Fire began.
Investigators called witnesses and searched the areas of each fire until they found a Jeep and a pair of Vans sneakers. These were the two things that led them to the couple.
People saw two people get into a Jeep Grand Cherokee and drive away from one of the fires. The same Jeep Grand Cherokee was later seen driving away from two other fires. In the dirt near two of the fires, investigators also found the shape of a Vans shoe.
A police officer from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services pulled over a suspected Jeep with a guy and his girlfriend inside less than a mile from where the Salt Fire began.
Authorities say the tread patterns on the Jeep’s tires looked a lot like those near the fires. The woman freely gave her shoes to the FBI, and the print on her Vans shoes matched the impression that had already been found.
Authorities say the guy in the Jeep reported the first fire on May 3 and said he was a wildland firefighter who tried to put it out. Investigators said he acted very differently when he saw the Salt Fire, though. He didn’t try to report or put out the fire, even though he said in an interview that he could see it from his house.
The FBI wouldn’t say anything because the probe was still going on. They pointed to a news release from last month that asked for help identifying the fires.
The National Park Service says that about 85% of wildland fires in the U.S. are started by people. Examples include leaving campfires unattended, setting things on fire, tools breaking down, and intentional burning. Wildfires can also be caused by dangerous waves of extreme heat that move across the country.
