WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsVideo Only on 3: Brush Fires Ruled Arson

Video Only on 3: Brush Fires Ruled Arson

Callie Starnes

Eyewitness News Reporter

Lee Broome

Eyewitness News Photographer

DADE COUNTY, GA (WRCB-TV) -

Crackling leaves and thick smoke mark the stretch of Highway 157 where six brush fires were started early Wednesday morning.

"We found direct evidence," says Tawn McKinley with The Georgia Forestry Commission, "I can't tell you what that is, but we found evidence that this is arson."

The fire damaged woods span half a mile along both sides of the road, which tells investigators this was no accident.

Dade County volunteer fire fighters and The Georgia Forestry Commission battled the flames for nearly four hours before the fire was contained. Firefighters went to work building a fire wall around the burning area to keep the fire from spreading and to protect local residents.

Local homes were not at risk, but a builder working near by says it all makes him a little uneasy.

"Is someone burning leaves or is it arson?" asks Oswaldo Lopez-Armas, "if it's arson it definitely makes me nervous."

While collecting evidence, investigators say the key to catching the culprit will be to locate where the fire started, but that is no easy task. Fire officials say as bad as this looks, it could have been a lot worse.

"Thank the Lord that it was done in the evening," says McKinley, "the humidity was up, the winds were down, we didn't have 25 mile winds like yesterday. Still, it's risky business.

The Georgia Forestry Commission will handle the arson investigation. We are told if the person responsible is found, they could not only face hefty fines, but also criminal charges.