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Arson blamed for Payette fires



Julie Engel Argus Observer

Payette

Four fires that scorched more than 150 acres in Payette Monday morning were sparked by arson Payette Fire Chief Jeff Sands said.

Sands said the initial fire call came in around 2:30 a.m. Monday and the Payette Rural Fire Department responded to the blaze. Two fires out at Little Willow and Idaho Highway 52 converged into one, Sands said. About an hour and 20 minutes after the first fire started, Sands said, a call came in for two more fires on Payette Heights Road in the area of Seventh Avenue North.

“There were no feasible ignition sources,” Sands said. “I know they were set, intentional fires.”

New Plymouth Rural Fire Department along with Fruitland Fire Department and Weiser Rural Fire Department responded with mutual aid to the Little Willow fire, and Sands said he called Ontario Fire & Rescue, Ontario Rural Fire Department and Vale Rural Fire Department to help out with the Payette Heights blaze, along with Payette city crews. Sands said he also called the United States Bureau of Land Management from Boise with two heavy engines for the Little Willow fire.

The two fires at Payette Heights were contained quickly, Sands said, only damaging about 2 acres. Sands said he kept patrols near those fires until about 6 a.m. that morning. After containment, fire departments shifted back to the Little Willow fire, which Sands said was contained around 8 a.m. Monday.

“We had a quick patrol on it last night for about an hour and a half,” Sands said. Sands said he has talked with a Payette County Sheriff's Office detective, and there are leads that they will begin to work on regarding the blazes. Arson is always tough to prove, Sands said, and it takes time to follow-up all of the leads in the case.

Multiple fires are a danger to fire crews, Sands said, because firefighters are stretched thin as they run from one fire to another. It not only increases the odds of an accident, Sands said, but it also poses the danger of missing a link in the setup of the original fire.

“These types of fires are dangerous,” Sands said. “There's a high potential to get firemen hurt.”




Comment Blog - Note: All Comments Subject To Approval

No Dhimmi wrote on Aug 14, 2009 9:38 PM:

" Islam is a woman-hating, human-enslaving ideology that should NOT be taught in our public schools. It's obvious the Saudis and the rest of the Muslim fanatics who are trying to take over the world have bought off the State of Oregon. Expect lawsuits.

And this isn't "racist," because Islam is not a race, anymore than Communism or Nazism are races, both of which killed far fewer people than Islam.

Disgusting. "

anonymous wrote on Aug 10, 2009 2:19 AM:

" The girl was Latasha Rodriguez "

Cody W. Ables wrote on May 16, 2008 11:04 PM:

" May 16, 2008

Here is something that we should all read. This is a letter from an angry woman in New Jersey regarding the War in Iraq and all of the war’s negative publicity. Pay attention.

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?

Did nearly three-thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was 'desecrated' when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means quit reading. Should you choose to do so, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem' -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add

'If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: 'A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.'

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
Important for us all!!!!
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM. AMEN!’


I hope you take this woman’s viewpoint into consideration. It closely parallels my own. As I begin my journey in becoming a soldier of the greatest country in the world, hearing this woman’s words sets my heart at ease. It is warming to know that there are people in this great country who still care about those men and women who have no choice.


Cody W. Ables
U.S. Air Force Academy 2012
"


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