PORTLAND, Ore. — A man has been arrested in connection to a wildfire that burned over 90 acres of forest land south of the Detroit Reservoir in Linn County.
The Slate Fire was first reported July 23 and later determined to be human caused. The Linn County Sheriff's Office said that a man had been found near the fire when it started. He had been transported to a hospital for burns.
An investigation revealed that the man had started multiple fires to signal for help, but lost control of the fires, setting the surrounding forest ablaze. At the time, the area was under fire restriction orders due to a high fire danger.
On Friday, 49-year-old Jason Everett Patterson turned himself in to deputies at the Linn County Jail. He was arrested for reckless burning, reckless endangering and second-degree criminal mischief.
As of Oct. 11, the State Fire is estimated to have cost over $2 million to suppress, according to the United States Forest Service. No homes or structures were damaged by the fire.
