A man who admitted to dropping a lit cigarette on the ground while sitting at a picnic table at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park was sentenced to three months in jail and fined $5,000 as restitution.
Curtis J. Faustich, who was charged with discarding a lighted material in a hazardous manner, appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo., Yellowstone National Park announced Wednesday afternoon.
Faustich, a seasonal concessionaire employee, was also given two years unsupervised probation and prohibited from entering Yellowstone National Park for two years.
Also on FTW Outdoors: Yellowstone tourist’s illegal act under investigation; video
The fire began around 6 p.m. on July 26 and spread through grass and sage between the North Entrance and the Gardner River, causing 4 acres to burn, along with a spot fire on the opposite side of the river.
Firefighters from Yellowstone, Gardiner and Paradise Valley responded and contained the fire, preventing threats to visitors and buildings. The fire caused the North Entrance Road to be closed for 90 miles until the fire was contained.
Photo courtesy of Yellowstone National Park.
