A Reminder, Don't Drink and Drive an ATV and Start a Forest Fire

A man has been arrested for DUI and starting a forest fire in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah, when his ATV caught fire.

Photo by: Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue

By: Jonathon Klein

Aug 6, 2025 at 8:15am ET

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It's somehow the year of our dark lord 2025, and I still come across very easily avoidable situations happening to folks and their powersport vehicles. They range from the absurd to the "What were you thinking," but oftentimes, these avoidable situations involve alcohol. So there's your answer.

And I can't believe I still have to say this, but do you know what doesn't mix well with powersports machines like UTVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet skis, and ATVs? Jaegermeister or any other form of alcoholic beverage. These are, in fact, fast things and even a little bit of booze can impair your cognitive abilities to the point where you seriously risk yourself, someone else, or your machine.

It can also risk our public lands, as in the West where drought is prevalent, and brush is basically tinder, being an idiot and drinking while recreating means you have the potential to cause a forest fire. As is the case of one ATV rider who happened to spark a brushfire in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah.

Great job, idiot.

According to KSL, one of Utah's biggest news outlets, Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue crews were sent out to respond to a brush fire in Sand Hollow State Park, a favorite among off-road enthusiasts. When they arrived, "Crews encountered a large brush fire burning inside the State Park. The fire was approximately 3.5 acres in size and was human-caused," stated the fire department.

While dousing the fire, the fire department located a burned ATV. The police at the scene, however, noticed that there was a man on the outskirts of the fire with another ATV which appeared slightly charred.

KSL reports that the arrest affadavit stated, "(The man) was operating an ATV on the outskirts of the scene, looking at the fire. The ATV had fire damage on the left side." And when approached by law enforcement, they determined that the man was under the influence, stating, "Based on the observed clues during field sobriety, I deemed (the man) impaired under the influence of alcohol and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle."

What do you think?

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The 32-year-old man was arrested and booked for "abandoning a fire that caused property damage, DUI and refusing to take a DUI test."

I'll say that at least no one was hurt, but during this fire season, one that's seen a 60,000-acre and still burning fire just north of Sand Hollow in Monroe, he got lucky it wasn't worse. Again, don't drive or ride drunk. And make sure your machines are in good working order before you go out. You don't want to be this guy who starts a brushfire because you failed to see something was broken. You also just don't want to be this guy.