Accused serial arsonist arrested yet again after two fires set in eastern Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A man who has been on KRDO13 Investigates' radar for arson before is once again in custody after police say he was linked to two fires intentionally set in eastern Colorado Springs on Thursday evening.

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said at around 4 p.m. on Jan. 29, they were alerted that 22-year-old Brandon Hugney, who was classified as a "missing person," had been spotted near the 1500 block of Space Center Drive, by the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Palmer Park Boulevard. At around the same time, police learned a fire had been intentionally set in the same area.

While detectives were searching the area for Hugney at around 5:16 p.m., a second fire was reported in the Sand Creek Drainage near Galley Rd and Space Center Drive, CSPD said. Just a minute later, police found Hugney approximately 300 feet from the second fire.

After investigating both fires, police charged Hugney with two counts of Firing Woods and Prairies booked him into the El Paso County Jail, CSPD said.

But Thursday's fires are nowehere near the only ones Hugney has been accused of setting over the past three years. Back in July of 2025, KRDO13 Investigates first reported on his extensive arson record in the Pikes Peak region.

READ MORE: Accused serial arsonist arrested in connection to 4 separate fires

Hugney was first arrested after Colorado Springs police linked him to four separate fires between December 2024 and June 2025:

• Dec. 10, 2024: Several items were set on fire inside an occupied apartment building on East Bijou Street. Thankfully, a tenant was able to extinguish the fire before any injury or significant structural damage could occur. 
• Dec. 21, 2024: A vehicle was set on fire in the 100 block of South Union Boulevard. The car, which had a value of $22,000, was totaled in the fire
• April 21, 2025: An unoccupied commercial building was set on fire in the 800 block of Citadel Dr E at the unoccupied Joe's Crab Shack
• June 13, 2025: A grass fire was set in the 1500 block of Space Center Drive, behind a car wash, endangering people nearby

Hugney faced several charges for those fires, including first-degree arson, second-degree arson, fourth-degree arson, and intentionally setting a wildfire, for those incidents. Court documents obtained by KRDO13 Investigates revealed Hugney was also facing two other arson charges from earlier in 2024.

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