Investigators with the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) were in Lauderdale County Wednesday afternoon to try and determine if a forest fire that began sometime Tuesday evening was the work of an arsonist.

Chad Bassett, an investigator with the MFC, said late Wednesday he believed there was strong evidence supporting the arson suspicion.

“We have a person of interest in this case,” said Bassett. “I’ve determined there were three separate fires set with one confirmed ignition spot. We’ve interviewed area residents and the investigation is continuing.”

Bassett said a portion of the fire along York Road east of Lauderdale burned acreage belonging to Plum Creek Timber Company while local private landowners lost acreage as well. A reward of up to $2,500 has been posted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this incident. If convicted of woods arson, a person can receive up to two years in prison for each count.

The wildfire was reported to the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s Wildfire Dispatch located in Bay Springs around 12:30 p.m. by MFC Detection Aircraft. The MFC responded to the incident with five bulldozers from Lauderdale, Kemper, Newton and Clarke counties. Also assisting with the wildfire was two Lauderdale County Volunteer Fire Departments, which were Lauderdale VFD and Center Ridge VFD.

The wildfire threatened five homes. All five homes were saved by the efforts of the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Volunteer Fire Departments. Mississippi Forestry Commission’s Lauderdale County Crews were back again Wednesday checking to make sure all containment lines were secure.











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March 27, 2007, the Mississippi Forestry Commission suppressed 17 wildfires with 783 acres of forest land burned across the state. Fire response numbers for MFC Crews was down Tuesday, but burned acres remained high due to high windy conditions. The low response numbers was due to the rain weather system that passed through the state on Tuesday. The forecasted rainfall did very little to lower wildfire danger. State Forestry Rangers hope this weekend’s weather system will bring some relief for a day or two. March wildfire figures are 1,136 wildfires with 23,002 acres of Forest land scorched across the state. The Mississippi Forestry Commission’s total wildfires numbers for the 2006-2007 Fiscal Year: 3,145 wildfires with 54,466 acres of Forest Land burned. Remember, 10 Mississippi Counties remain under “No Outdoor Burning Bans.” Lauderdale County is one of the counties. Contact Ed Brown, Public Outreach Forester, South Central District, Mississippi Forestry Commission Telephone (601) 764-2711.





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PHOTO BY BRIAN LIVINGSTON / THE MERIDIAN STAR



SCANNING FIRE



Gus Dear, a pilot with the Mississippi Forestry Commission, scans the horizon Wednesday for a 350-acre blaze in northeastern Lauderdale County.



Eyes in the sky

MFC pilots keep sharp eye for smoke

By Brian Livingston

blivingston@themeridianstar.com

If there is a flying gene you can be born with, Gus Dear has it. And rightfully so since his dad was a longtime crop duster.

“I’ve been flying since I was a teenager,” said Dear. “It’s just something I’ve always enjoyed.”

As one of six pilots for the Mississippi Forestry Commission, Dear and his plane are a modern replacement for the fire towers that used to dot the Mississippi forest landscape. Instead of employing scores of foresters to watch for distant smoke rising over pine forests, Dear said the pilots in their four Cessnas can cover all of Mississippi, giving valuable information about where a fire starts and how best for ground crews to attack the flames.

Flying above the tree tops Wednesday on a 350-acre fire in northeastern Lauderdale County, Dear deftly switched radio channels to talk with air controllers at NAS Meridian and Mississippi Forestry Commission ground crews fighting the blaze below.

White smoke rose into the clearing sky as Dear circled the little single engine plane around the area. MFC bulldozers and ground crews could be seen periodically through the forest canopy as they moved to surround hot spots.

“This job can get pretty busy at times,” Dear said over the cabin radio headset. “And that sometimes takes all the fun out of flying. But for the most part it’s a good job. I like it.”

Pushing a little red button on his flight yoke, Dear talked to crews to direct them to a spot on the ground where smoke began to get heavy. Having eyes in the sky greatly enhances the efficiency of the ground crews as a pilot can naturally see things they can’t from ground level, he said.

Satisfied the fire was all but contained and wouldn’t threaten any more homes or property, Dear came out of his steep bank and put the fire behind him.

“It’s going to be a good day to fly,” he said with a grin.