A Utah man charged with accidentally starting the Brian Head wildfire last summer won't go on trial in a southern Utah county where the fire took place.
The St. George Spectrum reports a judge decided Tuesday that Robert Lyman couldn't get a fair trial in Iron County due to extensive media coverage and online rumors about the fire. Prosecutors agreed with a defense request to move the case.
The Taylorsville man could face up to a year in jail if convicted on a reckless burning count and six months on a burning without a permit charge.
The fire destroyed 13 homes and cost nearly $40 million to fight.
Authorities have said the fire was started by weed burning at a cabin, a contention Lyman’s defense has disputed.
