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Officials probe arson wildfires They believe five igniters could be operating in valley By MARK FREEMAN Investigators are chasing leads to identify five arsonists they believe have been independently igniting wildfires in separate areas of the Rogue Valley over the past two months. Eighteen arson fires, which range in size from a quarter-acre to a 30-acre blaze July 13 near Gold Hill, have been found in five distinct areas from Cave Junction to the remote woods west of Talent. The sets of fires are all subtly distinct enough that they are now being blamed on five different, and still unknown, arsonists. "Clearly, we have a bigger problem with arson now than we've had in the recent past," said Dan Thorpe of the Oregon Department of Forestry's Central Point office. "And we're getting tired of it." The most recent spate of arsons occurred Sunday evening in the Gold Hill area, where three fires were set in grass and brush along North River Road. As state forestry crews moved to douse one, the next would ignite. Eventually more than 17 acres of wildlands were charred, Thorpe said. Six more arsons have been identified in the Griffin Creek area, three in the Anderson Butte area west of Talent and two each along South Stage Road and near Cave Junction in Josephine County. "The groups of fires are all different enough that we're pretty sure they all have different people involved," Thorpe said. "It seems like we just have more people fascinated with fire, and it's a problem." Arson investigators from five police and fire agencies are working the cases, sifting through small pieces of evidence and chasing down several leads, said Thorpe, who declined to be specific about any of the evidence. Firefighters also are going door-to-door in some of the areas, looking for witnesses. They are passing out disposable cameras for landowners to take photographs of suspicious people or vehicles seen in their neighborhoods. The arsons have occurred amid a spate of natural wildfires, with more than 100 lightning fires reported in the two counties over the past two weeks. "To think we have people out there playing games like this," Thorpe said, "I would hope that the public is outraged." The arson fires have been fought by ground crews as well as with water-dropping helicopters and with planes that bomb flames with special retardant loads that cost more than $4,000 apiece. No costs for fighting the arson blazes was available Monday. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.