Bunkerville man arrested at Mesquite fire was free on bail on arson charges

A Bunkerville man jailed last month on arson charges and released on bail is back behind bars after being arrested in connection with a large brush fire at Mesquite’s Hafen Park on Thursday afternoon.

Thomas Bowler, 40, is now facing at least six counts of arson amid a federal investigation into a series of fires in the Mesquite area. He was being held Friday at the Clark County Detention Center.

The Mesquite Police Department declined to release any information about the suspect early Friday because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had taken over the criminal investigation.

But the Clark County Fire Department later identified Bowler as the suspect. The agency also revealed he had been arrested June 17 to face five counts of arson before being released on bail.

Additional details about the other fires were not immediately available.

No buildings were damaged in Thursday’s blaze at Hafen Park, which burned near power lines and caused power to be temporarily shut off in the area.

Crews from the Clark County, Beaver Dam and Mesquite fire departments battled the blaze for several hours, under management by Bureau of Land Management officials.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @WesJuhl and @mike_shoro on Twitter.

@MesquiteNV_PD & Fire on scene of large brush fire at Hafen Park. @ClarkCountyFD & Beaver Dam fire e route. Please keep clear of area. pic.twitter.com/HMZDbykkwA

— Mesquite NV Police (@MesquiteNV_PD) July 7, 2017