A serial arsonist is believed to be on the loose along Derry Ridge in Westmoreland County, a forest fire specialist with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry said Friday.
A remote fire Thursday in Derry Township where police and military helicopters were called in to direct firefighters to the site “was definitely arson,” said Brian Vinski, who works out of the bureau’s Forbes State Forest District office in Laughlintown.
More than an acre burned, he said.
Vinski believes the suspected arsonist has set at least four previous fires, including three in that same remote area during the last three years.
“We were lucky Thursday. It could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t contained as quickly as it was,” Vinski said.
The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. off a fire tower road that crosses the ridge between Derry and Ligonier townships.
Fire departments from Derry Borough and Blairsville assisted, as did members of the Westmoreland County Rough Terrain Fire and Rescue Team. Crews used all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles to reach the fire, which they put out sometime after 5 p.m., Derry Township Fire Chief Mark Piantine said.
Piantine said smoke could be seen in other areas of the township, including along Pizza Barn and Ankney roads. But, he said, “it was up in about two miles in a hollow. When you got closer, you couldn’t see it.”
In addition to a state police helicopter, volunteers on the ground received guidance from a National Guard helicopter crew based at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria Airport near Johnstown.
“They gave us the coordinates and sent us pictures from the sky,” Piantine said. “They really helped us out.”
Vinski, who investigated the blaze, said evidence indicates the suspect drives an all-terrain vehicle to remote sites and sets fires.
“I want to get the word out there that anyone who sees anything suspicious, no matter how minor they think it is, to call us,” Vinski said. “I will tell you that we aggressively pursue anyone who commits an arson in the woods, and they will be prosecuted.”
Authorities have “a person of interest” in the recent forest fires, but not enough evidence yet to file a formal criminal complaint, Vinski said.
“Because of the remoteness of these areas, prosecution is a lot more difficult. There are very few, if any, witnesses at all compared to a community where someone is more likely to see someone commit a crime or they may be captured on surveillance cameras,” Vinski said. “In these cases, it’s just so remote there are no cameras and witnesses. That is why we are asking anyone who may have seen something to come forward with any information.”
Remote wild fires are dangerous, Vinski said.
“These place the public at risk in nearby communities and firefighters who conduct initial attack and suppression are at a very high risk. It’s very serious,” he said.
Vinski said the fire could have been much worse if it had been set on Wednesday when sustained winds had the Forbes State Forest region, which spans from Cambria to Fayette counties, under a “red flag warning” — meaning there is a higher risk of fire spreading.
The state Bureau of Forestry says the greatest danger of wildfires in Pennsylvania is during the months of March, April, and May, and again in October and November.
Vinski led the prosecution that resulted in a 2018 conviction of 21-year-old Dylan A. Miller, of New Florence, who was charged with setting 11 wildfires throughout eastern Westmoreland County. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve probation and pay $44,885 in restitution.
A former firefighter, Miller was charged with setting the fires over a six-week period in March-April 2016 in Cook, Fairfield, Ligonier and St. Clair townships.
Anyone who has information about the suspected arsonist or Thursday’s fire can call the Department of Forestry office at 724-238-1200. Vinski said callers can remain anonymous.
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