Fire Chief: Brush Fires Were Probably Arson

OXFORD – A rash of brush fires broke out in two towns Monday, and now firefighters are investigating them as possible arson.

There were eight brush fires in Derby on Route 34 around 2:30 p.m. in the area of Lake View Terrace. The blazes, concentrated on a hill above a retaining wall, were on land owned by the state on part of the Osbornedale State Park and Kellogg Environmental Center, according to the Valley Independent Sentinel.

Within that same time frame, the Oxford Fire Department was called to put out a brush fire in the 500 block area of Route 34, or Roosevelt Drive, close to the Derby Fires. The fire, which encompassed a section of about 50 feet by 75 feet, was knocked down within minutes by firefighters using an engine tanker and a brush truck, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier told Patch.

“There is a strong possibility someone is setting them, but we have to get the evidence to prove it,” he said. “It’s a shame because it ties up a lot of resources for no reason.”

Nobody was injured in any of the fires and no structures were damaged. Still, firefighters say can be extremely dangerous and put people and property at risk.

Monday’s incidents come on the heels of dozens of brush fires in November and December in Derby, Orange and Shelton, according to the Sentinel. Click here to read that report.