A volunteer firefighter has been arrested and accused of setting multiple fires recently in northern Arizona, authorities said.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s officials said the 18-year-old volunteer firefighter was booked into jail on suspicion of three counts of arson, aggravated criminal damage and five counts of false reporting to law enforcement.
They said he is suspected of starting eight blazes in the Ash Fork area since mid-June.
SMALL EARTHQUAKE RATTLES ARIZONA TOWN, NO IMMEDIATE REPORTS OF INJURIES, DAMAGES
Ash Fork has a volunteer fire department and is about 50 miles west of Flagstaff.
Sheriff’s officials said the firefighter was questioned Thursday night and allegedly admitted to being directly involved in seven of the fires — at a gas station, a county-owned cemetery, two abandoned homes and two wildfires along a Forest Service road.
The man is expected to face additional charges involving fires in Coconino County, authorities said.