Arizona Cops Detain Man In Connection With Flagstaff Wildfire

June 20th, 2010 - 7:31 pm ICT by GD  

By Ranjan Bhaduri
0215Flagstaff, June 20, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The wild fire which burned almost 600 acres of the jungle area in Flagstaff on Saturday is said to be the work of a local individual. Reportedly, the police has detained a “person of interest” who is said to have set the trees on fire in the jungle that prompted the authorities to issue orders for evacuating the local residents.

On Saturday, the fire fighters were able to bring the situation under control after the local authorities employed helicopters and air tankers to fight the fire from above. Coconino County sheriff Gerry Blair said that the police suspect that the wildfire has been caused by an external interference. Although the police held the person in custody they are not calling him to be a “suspect” at this point in time. The police said that all three neighborhood in the southeast of Flagstaff has been evacuated to safe shelters and more evacuations are soon to take place.

The Interstate 40 ramps which were locked down on Saturday has been re-opened but the Arizona police have asked one and all to exercise extreme caution. When asked about the loss caused by the wildfire, the local authorities said that the fire did heavy damage to the Ponderosa Pine trees which grows in large numbers in the area.

The firefighters said that in some places the flames are still burning as high as 3-4 feet and with the wind blowing fast it might spread into the neighborhood pretty soon. The authorities said that they haven’t filed any charges against the detained individual and shall continue to carry on their investigation until they hit upon some concrete proof.

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