Isn't it legal to shoot someone who is engaged in committing arson?

My guess is that this well connected fellow will get off of any felony but will see misdemeanors. Burning slash piles in snow is generally acceptable but not during a fire ban and not left unattended.

The Boulder County wildfire mitigation group recently held a podcast on how to safely burn slash piles. Sometimes they light a thousand or more at a time.

Some years ago we had a pyro neighbor who was always burning something, trash, leaves and weeds, anything. And almost always in dangerously dry conditions. So glad he's gone.