(Appeal Capitol Bureau ) A former Bureau of Land Management firefighter has pleaded guilty to setting fires on U.S. Forest Service lands in Lander County.
Mark E. Morgan, 34, of Reno, admitted setting three separate fires near Austin from Aug. 19-29. The fires burned more than 550 acres of timber, brush and grasslands within the Humbold-Toiyabe National Forest.
Morgan faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine plus restitution for the damage. He will be sentenced Oct. 23 by U.S. District Judge Ed Reed.