5 kids charged after starting Park Fire in Yavapai County
May 23, 2020, 7:19 PM | Updated: 8:47 pm
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office photo)
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office photo)
PHOENIX — Five kids have been charged for starting the Park Fire, which burned 65 acres in Yavapai County on Friday before hotshot crews were able to control the blaze.
The kids, ranging in ages from 11 to 15, were all seen running from the fire by witnesses. Following an investigation, it was determined that the group was smoking despite a fire ban on the area.
All five face charges of reckless burning while the 15-year-old suspect was also charged with tampering with a witness, a felony.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said deputies first responded to reports of a wildfire in the Bagdad area, approximately 60 miles west of Prescott, around 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
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By 6 p.m. the fire had spread to an estimated 55 acres, prompting evacuations by nearly 65 homes.
The evacuation order was lifted around 7:50 p.m.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office estimates that $30,000 in damages were caused by the fire.
