The Oak Ridge Fire Department has battled two brush fires near Linden Elementary School in the past 30 days. This one was March 22 behind the school. (Photos by Tom Scott)
Note: This story was last updated at 1:18 p.m.
Oak Ridge authorities are offering a reward to anyone who has information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who started a car and brush fires at or near Linden Elementary School during the past month.
Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said three fires have been extinguished at the following addresses in the past 30 days:Â
- A woods fire at 5:15 p.m. Feb. 27 Â on Montclair Road near Linden Elementary School.
- A car fire at 6:20 p.m. March 8 at Linden Elementary School. A second car had been vandalized.
- A woods fire at 4:48 p.m. March 22 behind Linden Elementary School.
“All three of these fires are under investigation through the joint efforts of the Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department,” Kerley said in a press release. “The fires are possibly connected to the same person(s) or people, so several individuals, not yet identified, are of interest in each of these fires.”
The ORFD extinguished this car fire and found a second car vandalized at 6:20 p.m. March 8 at Linden Elementary School.
Kerley said the reward could be between $100 and $1,000.
“I will give $100 out of my pocket, but I’m not sure how the state determines the amount they provide, but (it) can be up to $1,000,” the fire chief said.
Kerley said the suspects in the woods fires, and possibly also in the vehicle fire, could be young.
“Arsonists, including children who are unaware of the dangers of setting fires in the woods, are dangerous individuals, who not only cost our community money, but also endanger the lives of our firefighters who respond and extinguish these fires and place other property owners at risk,” Kerley said. “We will continue to investigate every fire in Oak Ridge and intend to prosecute, to the full extent of the law, those individuals who intentionally start fires.”
Anyone who has information about these fires or people who have been seen in the areas at the time of these fires should contact the Oak Ridge police or fire departments to report any suspicious activities in the area, a press release said. The Oak Ridge Police Department can be reached at (865) 425-4399, and phone number for the Oak Ridge Fire Department is (865) 425-3520.
If you have any information about any one of these fires, you can also contact the Tennessee Arson Hotline at (800) 762-3017.
Here are more pictures by photographer Tom Scott:
This is from the Feb. 27 brush fire on Montclair Road near Linden Elementary School.
This picture and the next three photos are from the March 22 brush fire behind Linden.
This is another picture from the March 8 car fire at Linden.
Leave a Reply