Arson suspect accused of starting Watch Fire near San Carlos arrested

SAN CARLOS, AZ (AZFamily) — An arson suspect has been arrested, accused of starting a wildfire that left homes devastated and over 2,000 acres burned on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation earlier this month.

Officials say 22-year-old Keanu Dude was charged with arson in connection to the Watch Fire, which forced hundreds to evacuate on tribal land.

The San Carlos Apache Police Department (SCAPD) and the Tribe’s Game & Fish Rangers took Dude into custody on Tuesday, 13 days after the fire broke out.

He is being held in the San Carlos Adult Detention & Rehabilitation Center, and officials say he has a history of assault, domestic violence, and other charges.

“It saddens me deeply that a member of our tribe has been charged with starting this fire that devastated our community,” said San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler. “Arson is a senseless act that will never be tolerated under any circumstance. I am thankful for the swift and thorough investigation by tribal and federal law enforcement that has resulted in an arrest.”

The Watch Fire began as a small brush fire on July 10. However, high winds caused it to erupt into an uncontrolled wildfire, causing the flames to rapidly spread in all directions.

In total, the Watch Fire burned 2,162 acres and destroyed 21 homes and 13 structures. Over 400 members of the Tribe evacuated, and roughly 73 were left homeless.

A state of emergency was declared to help members of the Tribe. In response, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs authorized funds to be sent to help those affected by the fire.

“While thankfully no one was injured, many face extreme hardship, losing their homes and all their possessions and were left with only the clothes on their back,” Chairman Rambler said. “It is imperative that everyone in our Tribe work together to overcome this criminal act and rebuild our community better and stronger than ever.”

The massive fire was the most serious structural fire on the reservation in at least 30 years. No injuries or deaths were reported.

The Tribe is continuing to seek funds to rebuild homes and infrastructure. Monetary donations can be made by visiting any BMO Bank branch or by bank wire transfer using the following account information:

Receiving Bank: BMO Bank N.A.

Address: 320 South Canal Street - Chicago, IL 60606

ABA Routing Number: 071000238

Account Title: San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona

Account Number: 58088295

Beneficiary Address: P.O. Box 0 - San Carlos, AZ 85550

Reference: Donations - Wildfire Watch

In an interview with Arizona’s Family, the tribe’s police chief, Elliot Sneezy, said, “I have to give all the glory to God because of the way this whole situation turned out.”

He can’t shake off the chaos from his mind.

“It’s not something that you can just get out of your mind because it’ll play over and over and over. And I think the best things I was hoping for is that nobody died. Sure enough, nobody did die,” he said.

Chief Sneezy said many of the homes burned were passed down through generations, including the house that belonged to his late great-grandfather.

“It was saddening to me that a community member is the person responsible for this horrific act,” said Chief Sneezy.

He said investigators know Dude’s motive, but he could not share more information to avoid compromising the investigation. Chief Sneezy said Dude was connected to the burning of an American Flag right before the Watch Fire was started.

He added that Dude is the only suspect right now, but the investigation is ongoing.

“I was able to witness the heroism from the fire department to the police department to the security officers, to community members, all coming together and try to save lives,” he said.

Chief Sneezy said the community is still cleaning up and fixing issues like damaged infrastructure, but he knows the tribe will rebuild.

“The history of the San Carlos Apache people, (they) have always been survivors. And that’s what we have to do again,” said Chief Sneezy.

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