Two men charged in Pilot Butte Fourth of July wildfire

Two men were charged Tuesday with reckless burning, second-degree criminal mischief and possession and use of prohibited fireworks, accused of setting off an illegal mortar-style firework at Pilot Butte that sparked a 10-acre Fourth of July wildfire.

The blaze closed U.S. Highway 20, prompted the evacuation of nearby apartments and burned power lines, cutting power to 27,000 residents.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said he filed the amended information listing the three misdemeanor charges Tuesday naming Brandon Joel Hastings, 38, of Redmond, and Alan Joseph Stout, 29, of Bend.

“Whether any fireworks should be permitted in a community at risk of wildfires is a conversation the residents and policy makers of Deschutes County should have,” Hummel said in a statement.

“Regardless of what we might decide in the future, our current law is that certain fireworks are permitted and certain are prohibited,” Hummel said. “Hastings and Stout are accused of detonating a prohibited firework, and they should be held accountable for the result of their reckless and unlawful act.”

Stout and Hastings have a court hearing scheduled for Wednesaday at 1:30 p.m., Hummel said.

Both men remain at the county jail in Bend, held without bail on parole violation charges.