Sockeye fire: accused plead ‘not guilty’

PALMER — A man and woman accused of starting a brush pile that sparked the largest wildfire in the Mat-Su Borough in more than a decade pleaded not guilty Tuesday, court documents show.

Greg Imig, 59, and Amy Dewitt, 42, of Anchorage entered not guilty pleas during an out-of-custody arraignment in Palmer Court July 28, according to Court View entries.

Imig and Dewitt faced eight charges: four class-A misdemeanors and four unclassified misdemeanors. Perhaps worse than the misdemeanor counts, which carry limited jail time on conviction: Imig and Dewitt are eligible for fines equaling twice the cost of fighting the fire, or roughly $16 million.

According to charging documents, Imig and Dewitt were at Imig’s property June 14 clearing brush when flames from one of four burn piles escaped into the surrounding wildlands. The fire eventually destroyed 55 homes and 44 other structures.

Investigators later used a combination of aerial imaging and fire forensics to pinpoint the fire’s origin at Imig’s property at 25629 Ringler Circle, a block away from Sockeye Avenue, according to charging documents.

The case has been assigned to Judge David Zwink.

The couple’s next court date is for a pre-trial conference Aug. 21, court documents show.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.