HARRISBURG – The state Bureau of Forestry is seeking the public’s help in the probe of a series of 10 wildland fires in Clearfield County in mid-April that investigators have labeled arson.
Discovered and fought throughout the day April 16, the fires scorched a total of 35 acres of private lands near Shiloh, Bradford Township. Local volunteer fire companies and Bureau of Forestry personnel were kept scrambling from one fire to the next throughout the day.
“Circumstances surrounding these wildfires lead us to believe they were intentionally set,” said the bureau’s Forest Fire Protection Division Chief Randall White. “The sheer number of fires in such a small area required several fire departments, working with our people, to bring them under control. Wildfire arson has historically been a serious problem in this area and fires like this put the public and first responders at risk.”
Any information offered on anyone observed in that area near that time will be treated with utmost importance and strictest confidence, White said.
Information can be forwarded to bureau Special Investigator Terry Smith, 717-362-1472; terrsmith@pa.gov.
“Even though weather conditions may seem to have temporarily moderated, the public is reminded that the threat of wildfires still exists,” White said. “The Bureau of Forestry asks the public to be especially careful with any outside burning, which is one of the leading causes of wildfires.”
For more information on wildfire prevention, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us (select “Forestry” under “Quick Links” then “Wildland Fire”).