A Gates County man was arrested Tuesday and another could be arrested soon in connection with wildfires last month in the county that spread rapidly in high winds from firecrackers thrown into the woods, the sheriff has said.
Mark Brandon DuBois, 21, was charged with three felony counts of intentionally setting fire to woodlands, Gates County Sheriff Ed Webb said.
At least one other man could be arrested soon, he said.
On Feb. 10, firecrackers thrown from a vehicle traveling on Acorn Road touched off fires in the woods, Webb said. The fires quickly grew in the high winds and combined into one large fire that eventually burned about 70 acres.
Several other fires reported that day in Gates County were deemed accidental and were all smaller, Webb said.
The Gates County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources are investigating.
Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
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