A man has been arrested after setting a fire on Bureau of Land Management land in Lane County.
On July 6, fire crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a half-acre fire that was spotted near the Willamette National Forest.
The BLM said the fire was lit by an unidentified individual as an attempt to destroy evidence after he had illegally dumped trash at the site the day before.
BLM’s Chief Ranger for the Northwest Oregon district, Damian Hayes, said the small fire would have had devastating potential if it were not for the quick suppression by fire crews.
“It would have been a major issue, especially for anybody who might have been up in that area because there’s only one ingress, egress out of there,” said Hayes. “They would have been trapped up there.”
Hayes said the agency takes both arson and illegal dumping crimes seriously. He urged the public to be aware that natural resource crimes are subject to both hefty criminal and financial consequences.
“If you illegal dump on public lands in Lane County, you will be arrested,” said Hayes.
The ranger also said that any person found guilty of starting a wildfire–regardless of intent–is responsible to pay for the damage and suppression costs on top of serving any criminal sentences.
“If anybody’s having any type of idea or interest in doing anything that is kind of above the line or clearly prohibited during this time of year with fire restrictions, do not do it,” said Hayes.
The arson suspect was arrested on July 12 after officials said he provided a confession.
To report illegal dumping or any other natural resource crimes in Lane County, call the Northwest Oregon BLM office at (541) 683-6600.
To report a fire, call 911.
