Man arrested for setting fires in Washington state as blazes ravage West Coast
‘California, Oregon, and Washington - we are all in the soup of cataclysmic fire’
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Your support makes all the difference.A man has been arrested in Washington state for allegedly setting fires close to a road, as wildfires ravage the region.
Reports said the individual was detained at Puyallup, 35 miles south of Seattle, after state troopers were alerted by smoke coming from a fire that had been set on the median of highway 167, close to the location of an ongoing fire, visited this week by the state’s governor.
Local media said the man was arrested and taken to jail.
The arrest came as many western states, including California, Oregon, and Washington scramble to respond to hundreds of wildfires that are raging across the region.
Officer Ryan Burke with the Washington State Patrol said on Twitter that the 36-year-old was caught in the median of the road.
The Washington State Patrol, the Fife Police Department and the Puyallup Police Department all assisted in making the arrest.
“Joint team effort!! WSP, Fife Pd and Puyallup PD just arrested a 36yr old Puyallup resident,” tweeted Mr Burke.
“He was caught in the median on SR-167@ Meridian setting a fire! He is currently on his way to jail! Great job everybody!”
Fox News pointed out that since Monday, more than 50 fires have been ignited in Washington state, burning more than 300,000 acres.
It not immediately clear if the man arrested was being questioned over any of those fires.
Most of the biggest fires have been in the east of the state near Spokane.
However, firefighters have also been tackling blades at Bonney Lake, close to where the man was arrested.
On Wednesday, Washington governor Jay Inslee visited that area and addressed the crisis.
“California, Oregon, and Washington: we are all in the soup of cataclysmic fire, and the reason we are in the same soup is because the grass is so dry, the temperature is so hot, and the winds are so heavy,” he said.
“And these are conditions that are exacerbated by the changing climate that we are suffering.”
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