Florida Firefighters Battle Suspected Arson Spree

NAVARRE, Fla. -- Firefighters were kept busy for about two hours late Tuesday putting out a string of suspected arson fires.

"It seemed like every time we put one out another one started," Holley-Navarre Battalion Chief Howie Rounsaville said.

The first in the series of brush fires was reported at 10:30 p.m. Firefighters didn't return to the station until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Rounsaville said.

The fires ran up Ortega Street from U.S. Highway 98 to High School Boulevard. One of the fires was west of Ortega on Rio Vista Drive.

The largest fire was about 30 feet by 30 feet, but most were about 20 by 20, Rounsaville said.

"We were chasing these spot fires through the wooded areas around the neighborhood," he said.

No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters were unable to find evidence of an ignition source and suspect the fires were intentionally lit. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office was contacted and deputies searched the area for possible suspects, he said.

Rounsaville said he didn't know if any suspects had been located Wednesday.

Copyright 2012 - Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach

McClatchy-Tribune News Service