Arson suspect identified, charged
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LAKE COUNTY — A months-long investigation into the Boulder 2700 arson caused fire, which started on August 31, 2021, has resulted in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identifying a suspect.
Craig Allen McCrea, 36, of Ronan, is being charged by the Lake County Attorney’s Office for three counts of arson for the Boulder 2700 fire, and two other fires in the Polson area: the Boulder 2800 and Jette Hill fire. The Boulder 2800 and Jette Hill fire were started in the month prior to the Boulder 2700 fire and caused forest land damage but did not burn any structures.
The Boulder 2700 fire resulted in the emergency evacuation of hundreds of families, burned down more than a dozen homes and other outbuildings, destroyed thousands of acres of forest land, and has created an ongoing hazardous condition on MT Hwy 35 due to destabilizing the vegetation and causing frequent rocks to fall to the road.
Lake County Detectives pursued many leads in this investigation from the point it was identified as an arson fire. This exhaustive investigation led to the identification of McCrea as the arsonist. In conjunction with evidence discovered by CSKT Tribal Fire investigators, the two previous fires were also identified as being started by McCrea.
McCrea is currently in custody in the Lake County Jail.
