HELENA — A Lewis and Clark County teen has admitted to playing a role in starting last summer's Horse Gulch Fire.
The Horse Gulch Fire was first reported on the afternoon of July 9, 2024, near Canyon Ferry Reservoir. In the following weeks, the fire would burn more than 15,000 acres, cost around $20 million in suppression, and a pilot would die while fighting the blaze.
An 18-year-old is now on probation after admitting to playing a role in how the fire started. Montana District Court Judge Kathy Seeley oversaw the case in juvenile court – as the defendant was 17 years old at the time of the allegations.
(Watch to learn more about the teen who admitted to having a role in starting the Horse Gulch Fire)
MTN’s policy regarding juvenile defendants is not to publish their names or images unless they are being tried as adults at the time of the alleged crime. For clarity, the 18-year-old will be referred to as “the defendant” in this article.
"I am aware of the horrifying circumstances of his negligent actions. $20 million in damages. the death of a pilot. disruption of so many lives," said Seeley.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2024, United States Forest Service investigators found used bottle rocket fireworks and logs piled together in the area where the Horse Gulch Fire started. There were also signs that an attempt had been made to control and put out the fire.
Investigators spoke with other campers down the road from where the fire had started. Those campers indicated seeing a distinct blue truck – with young-looking individuals inside – leaving the area from where the fire originated.
(2024 report on the death of firefighting pilot Juliana Turchetti)
That same day the Horse Gulch Fire continued to grow in size at a rapid pace. On the afternoon of July 10, 2024, Juliana Turchetti lost her life when her plane crashed into a mountainside and landed in Hauser Lake. Turchetti’s plane was contracted to the U.S. Forest Service and was scooping water to assist firefighting efforts. Residents of Cave Gulch and Magpie Gulch were ordered to evacuate their homes.
A social media post from the U.S. Forest Service seeking information about the cause of the fire led to multiple tips. These tips led officers to interview several juveniles, one admitted to starting the Horse Gulch Fire with the defendant by trying to prepare a spot for a bonfire.
"We determined through our investigation that he lit the grass on fire, put it out,” Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Nick Scholz told MTN. “He thought he had it out cold, but obviously it wasn't out cold because it later ignited to what would become the Horse Gulch Fire."
At the ignition site, investigators also found roughly 30 used bottle rocket fireworks which the defendant admitted to shooting off during a "bottle rocket fight."
Court documents state the teens left after they thought they put the fire out – but soon after they saw a plume of smoke coming from the area they were at.
The defendant admitted to investigators that he told others, "Not to tell anyone because they would get in a lot of trouble."
“I don't think he went up there with the intention to burn the world down," noted Scholz.
After the allegations against the defendant were made – he spent time in a juvenile detention center and once he was released, he was supervised by a probation officer.
The defendant's probation officer said he broke the conditions twice. Once by leaving the county without permission when he was ticketed for crashing a vehicle, and when he went hunting without being accompanied by court-approved adults. When hunting the defendant was accused of taking the gun without the owner's knowledge and shooting from his vehicle.
The defendant's attorney pleaded with Seeley, saying he understands the seriousness of what happened.
"He feels horrible about the forest that was burned,” said defense attorney Spencer Harris. “It's a place that he loved to go, but more than the burned forest, I know he feels horrible about the female pilot who died trying to fight the fire. I'm sure he will think of her throughout his life."
At the end of this week’s disposition hearing, Judge Seeley placed the defendant on probation until he turns 21. Included in those conditions are that he has no access to fire-starting materials like matches, lighters, and fireworks. He can not access U.S. Forest Service property or National Forest Service lands without approval from the district's ranger. The defendant also needs to complete 100 hours of community service.
(Flash flooding from Horse Gulch Fire burn scar destroys campground)
The defendant volunteered to pay a restitution of $2,700 to the Office of Juvenile Probation.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said with the severity of the case he was hoping for a harsher punishment.
“I felt let down,” Dutton said. “There are laws that restrict the amount of punishment that you can give a juvenile and I understand that, but I felt frustrated."
If any of these conditions are violated – the teen can be brought back for re-disposition.
The County Attorney's Office says they are still looking to file charges against two other juveniles regarding this case. Information on those charges has not been released as they are still being investigated.
