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The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Oracle Fire Department on a possible arson case.
According to Tim Gaffney, Public Information Officer for the sheriff’s office, a local deputy was dispatched to the 900 block of Estill Dr., Oracle, on July 13 to meet with Oracle Fire Chief Larry Southard regarding a recent wildfire in that area.
Southard told the deputy that the previous day, July 12 at approximately 2:45 a.m. fire crews were called out to a brush fire. The crew extinguished the fire and left the scene at 3:30 a.m.
The following day, Southard went to the scene to conduct a check and noticed that several pieces of dried Manzanita wood has been placed on top of the area where the fire was. The crew, Southard told the deputy, reported that they put out the fire and cleared the area of any flammable material nearby.
Southard also told the deputy that approximately two months earlier, the fire department was dispatched to the same area for a brush fire. The older fire was located approximately 20 yards to the north of the July 13 fire.
The fire chief believes that both fires are suspicious. In both cases, there were no lightning strikes which could have started the fires.
The fires will remain under investigation by the Oracle Fire Department and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was requested to perform extra patrols in the are during the nighttime hours.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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