Investigation Reveals Arson as Cause of Tiger Island Fire in Louisiana
According to state officials, the biggest wildfire in Louisiana history was started intentionally, they announced on Saturday. Officials have decided that the Tiger Island fire was started intentionally, and they are asking the public for help in identifying the offender.
The enforcement branch of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry looked into the fires in Beauregard Parish and found that the Tiger Island fire was started intentionally.
Along with the Beauregard Sheriff’s Office, LDAF is actively looking into the situation. The Tiger Island Fire suspect is still at large, according to a report published on Saturday by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. No specifics on how investigators think the fire got started were given.
Tiger Island Fire, which started on August 22 in Beauregard Parish in southwest Louisiana, has so far consumed 48.43 square miles of land and damaged or destroyed at least 20 homes and other buildings. Only 50% of it is still contained.
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Reward for Information
Over 1,200 residents of Merryville, a community close to the Texas border, were evacuated during the height of the fire. Early this week, mandatory evacuation orders were withdrawn. There have been no reports of accidents or deaths related to the fire.
Officials said that Louisiana experienced an unprecedented 441 wildfires in August, taxing the state’s limited resources as the state battles excessive summer heat and drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of southwest Louisiana is experiencing “exceptional drought.”
If you or anybody you know has any knowledge about this fire, investigators strongly advise that you contact law police. Call the LDAF 24-hour hotline at 1-855-452-5323 or the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-462-8918 to report an arsonist or information about this fire.
All calls to the LDAF hotline are confidential, and the Louisiana Forestry Association is offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information that results in the capture and conviction of the offender or offfenders.
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Source: Newsbreak
