A man who spent about eight years living off the grid in a remote Arizona forest has been sentenced after authorities discovered his makeshift campsite surrounded by roughly 1,000 pounds of trash and an active campfire despite strict fire restrictions.

Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, pleaded guilty to violating federal fire restrictions and unlawfully residing in Tonto National Forest, according to federal court records first reported by The Guardian.

Gatz was arrested on June 25 after a U.S. Forest Service officer found what court documents described as an illegal campsite with a “hot wood burning campfire” regardless of fire restrictions.

During the encounter, Gatz told investigators he had been living in the national forest for about eight years.

A records check found he had previously received multiple citations and was the subject of six outstanding federal arrest warrants tied to earlier violations, including building fires during fire restrictions, constructing structures on National Forest land, maintaining unsanitary conditions and occupying the forest as a residence.

Authorities said Gatz admitted he knew fire restrictions were in place but told investigators he “had to have fire to eat.”

Court records show Forest Service officers had contacted him several times over the past year, issuing warnings and a violation notice over campfires during fire restrictions.

During earlier visits this year, officers reported finding clothing, pans, tools and plastic cups strewn across the campsite, along with a four-foot-tall structure built from wooden panels.

When officials returned in May, they estimated the site contained approximately 1,000 pounds of trash, including tires, plastic bags, trash bags, aluminum cans and other debris.

They also reported finding that a campfire had been left unattended while it was still hot.

In a separate report from February, one officer wrote that “upon arrival at the camp, I was flabbergasted by the amount of debris in the area.”

Investigators said the campsite contained three ladders, six to eight totes overflowing with debris, five 55-gallon drums, eight tires, multiple bicycle frames, five gallons of motor oil, plywood and other miscellaneous lumber.

Trash was scattered across roughly half an acre of Forest Service land, creating what officers described as a public safety concern.

An earlier report from July 2025 described the location as a “large messy campsite” that officers investigated after receiving complaints from the district office.

“There was roughly half an acre of resources ruined due to so much trash and goods on the ground for an extended period of time,” an officer wrote.

Following his guilty plea, Gatz was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.

The court also ordered him to pay a $20 special assessment within 30 days of July 6, 2026. A fine was waived after the court determined he was unable to pay, and no restitution was ordered.

An attorney for Gatz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.