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Bond Set For Men Accused Of Starting Cold Springs Fire

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- The two men accused of starting the Cold Springs Fire appeared in front of a Boulder County judge on Monday.

Boulder detectives arrested Jimmy Andrew Suggs, 28, and Zackary Ryan Kuykendall, 26, on Sunday.

After the fire broke out on Saturday, they reportedly evacuated to Nederland High School. The sheriff said tips from the community helped investigators find the two suspects.

Zachary Ryan Kuykendall, Jimmy Andrew Suggs
Zachary Ryan Kuykendall, left, and Jimmy Andrew Suggs, right (credit: Boulder County)

The men, from Vinemont, Alabama, are accused of fourth-degree arson after starting a campfire on private land Thursday and then failing to properly put it out.

The men told investigators they had camped for three night, starting fires the first two nights but not the third. They told investigators they had been camping and reading their bibles.

Cold Springs Fire
(credit: Frank Pantely)

The judge set Kuykendall's bond at $200,000 and Suggs' bond at $150,000. Prosecutors consider the men a flight risk.

Fire investigators describe what the two men built as an ad-hoc campfire near the Peak to Peak Highway and Cold Springs Road. It is believed winds in the area combined with the dry weather allowed the fire to smolder before being reported through a 911 call early Saturday afternoon.

Both have criminal records: Suggs served one year of jail time for possession of drugs, and six months for theft. Kuykendall was given three years for rape, six years for burglary, and 12 months for public intoxication, but was only given probation and did not serve jail time.

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