Colorado Man Arrested in Downtown Building Fires

Authorities said Friday that a Fort Collins man is suspected of starting a fire that caused an estimated $10 million in damage to two downtown buildings.

Police said Benjamin Gilmore, 29, was arrested Thursday night on charges of first-degree arson, second-degree burglary and criminal mischief.

The Oct. 24 fire started in a four-story building under construction and spread next door, heavily damaging a building housing stores and condominiums in the city’s Old Town section. No one was injured.

The Coloradoan reported that Gilmore, the owner of a honey and beekeeping supply store, is a supporter of Occupy Fort Collins and spoke at a City Council meeting this week in favor of allowing the group to remain in its current location.

Police didn’t cite Gilmore’s involvement with the group in announcing his arrest and downplayed the link.

“We’re not investigating Occupy Fort Collins, we are investigating a fire,” police spokeswoman Rita Davis said.

Gilmore’s wife, Rebekah Gilmore, told the Coloradoan he was innocent and she has “no idea” why he’s a suspect.

The arrest came after an investigation by police, the Poudre Fire Authority and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In a joint statement, the agencies said they determined the fire was intentionally set.

Documents in the case are sealed and Davis said she couldn’t discuss how investigators reached that conclusion or what led them to Gilmore.

She said investigators haven’t determined a motive for starting the fire.