x
Breaking News
More () »

Seasonal worker gets 3 months in jail for Yellowstone fire

The fire scorched about four acres after the man dropped a cigarette.
Credit: Getty Images
Entrance sign along U.S. Highway 212 at the northeast entrance into Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, (Photo by: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A seasonal concessionaire employee has been sentenced to three months in jail for igniting a small grass fire near the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

Park officials say Curtis Faustich pleaded guilty Tuesday to discarding lighted material in a hazardous manner. He said he dropped a cigarette on the ground while sitting at a picnic table July 26.

The blaze scorched 4 acres of grass and sage before it was contained.

Faustich also was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation, was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and is prohibited from entering Yellowstone for two years.

Before You Leave, Check This Out