Loveland man posed as firefighter after sparking Alexander Mountain fire, officials say

After allegedly sparking the Alexander Mountain fire, which destroyed more than 50 structures and burned nearly 10,000 acres in Larimer County, authorities say a 49-year-old Loveland man donned fake gear and posed as a wildland firefighter to get past roadblocks and enter restricted areas as real firefighters fought the flames. 

Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested Tuesday and faces first-degree arson charges, booking records show. He is being held in the Larimer County jail on a $250,000 bond. 

Investigators also found that months before the fire, Hobby pulled people over in their vehicles while pretending to be a police officer in a Chevrolet SUV that was made to look like a law enforcement vehicle, told them they were trespassing and pointed weapons at them, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said during a news conference Wednesday. 

Hobby, a former employee of Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, modified a 4-wheel drive pick-up truck with emblems reading “Twin Buttes Fire Protection” out of Wyoming and had fire gear decorated with similar emblems, Feyen said. 

The sheriff’s office said there is no record of a fire department registered under that name. 

“It was hard to tell to the point he was able to cross roadblocks to get to the fire scene,” Feyen said. 

The fire was sparked by a campfire left unattended in a fire ring near the top of Alexander Mountain, investigators found. Feyen said investigators don’t know if Hobby intended to start the wildfire.

Hobby is originally from California and has been arrested “several” times there, Feyen said, adding that he is the only suspect in the case. 

“The Alexander Mountain Fire destroyed homes, endangered lives, and scarred our community — literally and figuratively. I’m extremely grateful for our LCSO investigations team and US Forest Service partners who worked nonstop to find answers in this case,” Feyen said. 

“I also want to thank the Sylvan Dale Ranch staff. Despite the fire danger at their doorstep, they were extremely supportive during the fire response and cooperated with our investigation in its aftermath.”

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch fired Hobby after law enforcement named him as a suspect in the case, Feyen said. 

“What led us to him was good old-fashioned, plain police work,” Feyen said. “We knew where the point of origin was so we went up there to view what we could find and collect evidence with the Forest Service. … From there ‘who saw the fire first?’ So we began interviewing people. Not technology, just good old detective work.” 

Feyen added that Hobby posted photos of his fake fire vehicle on social media channels.

A person using the handle, “Twin Buttes Fire Protection,” on X formerly known as Twitter, posted about the Alexander Mountain fire as flames destroyed homes. Videos posted to the account show helicopters dropping water on the fire and thick smoke plumes.

The sheriff ended the news conference without addressing how long Hobby was able to remain in restricted areas, how he exited the fire area or how the ruse was eventually uncovered. 

Hobby faces three other felony charges, including aggravated assault with a weapon, impersonating a peace officer and false imprisonment, for stopping, records show.

The sheriff’s office is asking for anyone who was stopped by Hobby, when he was pretending to be a law enforcement officer, to contact the office as they continue their investigation.

Firefighters got full control of the fire west of Loveland on Aug. 18 about two weeks after it started. U.S. Forest Service investigators worked alongside the sheriff’s office to try to figure out who caused the fire, even if it wasn’t intentional. 

At the height of the fire, 625 personnel were on scene battling flames that destroyed 51 structures in Larimer County north of the Big Thompson Canyon. The fire destroyed 26 homes and damaged at least four others, according to a report by the Larimer County Assessor’s Office. Twenty-one outbuildings were also destroyed.

The fire was one of three Front Range wildfires being investigated as human-caused and ignited in the last week of July.