GLENWOOD, Minn. -- A former firefighter for the Villard Fire Department is charged with arson for allegedly setting three different fires in the Villard area in Pope County.
Nathan Ray Glaser, 21, of Villard, made an initial court appearance Tuesday on felony charges of second-degree arson, wildfire arson and negligent fires.
A total of more than $70,000 of property damage was caused by one of the fires, reported south of Villard, and court documents say that a fire investigator determined the three fires fit the pattern of a serial arsonist.
Pope County sheriff's deputies learned that Glaser, a member of the Villard Fire Department, reported one fire.
A witness at the scene of the fire said he saw a set of tire tracks that went up to the edge of the grass where the fire was reported. He reportedly saw the tracks after the fire was reported and said the tire tracks were not there beforehand.
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In his initial conversation with law enforcement, Glaser said he was driving by when he saw a grass fire and reported it. When asked why he was in the area, Glaser said he did not want to argue and understood why he was a suspect, according to the criminal complaint.
Glaser would give investigators several conflicting stories about how the fire started.
In one interview, Glaser allegedly said he did not remember starting the fire, but said he must have been the one who started it.
