31% of Wildland Fires in Lee county Fla--Arson?

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31 percent of Lee wildfires may be arson

By THE NEWS-PRESS
Published by news-press.com on May 25, 2005


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Since February, 31 percent of the wildfires in Lee County are believed to be arson, the Florida Division of Forestry saidthis morning.

In Collier County, 14 percent are believed to be arson.

Historically, 10 percent of wildfires are arson, the forestry division reports.

"This has become a community problem," said Gerry J. LaCaVera, wildfire specialist. "If these fires are being set intentionally, then communities, homes and our families are being put at risk."

LaCavera said that residents should report people seen returning to a fire scene repeatedly. License plate numbers should be reported too, he said.

The arson alert hotline is 800-342-5869.

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Authorities seek public's help in apprehending wildfire arsonists

By BY KEVIN LOLLAR
KLOLLAR@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Published by news-press.com on May 26, 2005


TO REPORT WILDFIRES
To report any information about recent arson fires, call the Arson Alert Hotline, 800-342-5869. Anyone giving information leading to an arrest is eligible for a reward of up to $5,000. All reports are confidential.

Suspicious wildfires are on the rise in Lee and Collier counties, and the Florida Division of Forestry is looking for help in tracking down arsonists.

State forestry officials think that more than 20 percent of the area’s 88 wildfires have been set intentionally; 31 percent of Lee County’s and 14 percent of Collier County’s wildfires have had suspicious causes.

Historically, less than 10 percent of the area’s wildfires have been arson, said Gerry LaCavera, wildfire mitigation specialist.
“We really don’t have a reason for the big increase in suspicious fires,” LaCavera said. “People intentionally set fires for a lot of reasons. Sometimes it’s malice. Sometimes it’s to get back at people. Other times it’s for the adrenaline rush: People like the excitement of fire trucks and watching people fight fires.”

A total of 1,750 acres have burned in Lee and Collier counties.

None of the suspicious fires have damaged structures, though some have come within a few hundred yards of buildings, and no one has been injured.

But even without damage to buildings or injuries, each arson fire puts communities at risk because it ties up firefighters and equipment that cannot be used if another fire breaks out.

Fighting even a small wildfire — 5 to 10 acres — is expensive: Such a fire would take half a day and cost the Division of Forestry about $5,000.

Lehigh and the Lely area of Collier County are the two hotspots for suspicious fires.

“Again, we don’t know why,” LaCavera said. “Those areas have a lot of volatile fuels, so it’s easy to start a fire. And there’s a lot of seclusion, so it’s easy to do.”

LaCavera would not get specific about what makes officials think the suspicious fires were arson.

“We might find something that people use — I don’t want to talk too much about it because it might give people ideas,” he said. “But we look for certain devices that people use to start fires so they’re long gone when the fire starts.

“We also look for burn patterns. There’s always an ignition source for a fire. If that source is not close to something that’s not suspicious, like a piece of equipment or a campfire, then it becomes suspicious.”

So far, no arrests have been made in the suspicious fires.

“Unfortunately, unless we see someone start a fire, it’s hard to trace evidence back to individuals,” LaCavera said. “It’s not an individual effort. We have sheriff’s departments working on it, and state resources. A lot of people are looking for evidence, but it’s not like CSI.”

Because finding an arsonist is so difficult, the Division of Forestry is looking for information about suspected arson fires.

Any suspicious activity, such as someone returning often to the scene of a fire or cruising an area before a fire, should be reported.

License plate numbers are particularly valuable if someone spots suspicious activity.
An April 26 wildfire came within about 200 yards of Scottie’s Canvas and Marine Outfitters in North Fort Myers, but company president Stephen Sibbald didn’t think it was arson.

“It could have been homeless — someone said there was a homeless camp back there,” Sibbald said. “We were pretty scared. It makes you appreciate the fire department on days like that. They were right on top of it.”

A great fear among forestry officials after Hurricane Charley was that all the broken and uprooted trees and other dead vegetation would provide a tremendous amount of fuel for wildfires.

So far, excess fuel hasn’t played a major role in are wildfires, suspicious or otherwise.

“A few fires have been in or near hurricane debris, one in North Fort Myers and a smaller one on Pine Island,” LaCavera said. “But we’ve been able to suppress them very quickly.

“But the potential is there. As we get drier, it’s going to get even worse. And for the next couple of years, the potential will be higher. We’re not out of the woods yet.”