ALTAVISTA — Fire officials believe an arsonist is to blame for at least seven brush fires in and north of Altavista on Sunday afternoon.
The fires found along Clarion, Dearing Ford and Riverbend roads were all called in or discovered within 30 minutes of each other, Campbell County Fire Marshall Rodney Lawson said.
“When the wind is up like this and the humidity is down, it’s not uncommon to have one or two fires, but seven, all within 30 minutes, that’s what makes this suspicious,” Lawson said.
Altavista Fire Co. Chief John Tucker said most of the fires were limited to the ditches where they were started. One at Dewberry Lane and Dearing Ford Road escaped the ditch, though, Tucker said, burning about five acres between the road-way and U.S. 29.
The fires were reported just before 3 p.m., he said, and were out by 6:20.
The fires are being investigated by the Campbell County Fire Marshall’s office and the Virginia Department of Forestry, Lawson said.
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