by CoffeeBean » Fri Nov 04, 2016 2:28 pm
Is this related to wildfires? Yes drought? No
Is the related crime arson? No
Did this man leave a campfire or some other source of fire unattended? He says he didn't, but neighbors and firefighters say he did...and it burned down trees/houses and the like? Yes
Did the man discovered something that was highly flammable? No
Was his name Burns? Good guess but no, something even better...
First name relevant? Last name? Whole name? Just the last name
Did the name sound like: Fire? Flame? Burn? Torch? <--THIS Blaze? Flare?
*SPOILER*
This happened in April of 2009 in Conway, SC. My family was visiting a nearby town and were alarmed to hear news reports of a wildfire nearby. The staff at our hotel said they had never experienced a wildfire in the area and they didn't know if we should evacuate or not. As the fire got closer to us (we could see the flames above the treetops), we decided to pack up and leave town. After we got home we saw reports that a local man, Marc Torchi had been identified as the guilty person. He had burned some leaves and yard debris in his back yard, and authorities claimed that a few days later the embers were still hot and caused some grass and trees nearby to catch fire and quickly spread to hundreds of acres nearby. Even though Torchi insisted he had put the fire completely out, firefighters said that some of the embers were still hot and the wind blew them into areas with grass, bushes and trees that caught on fire.
Great job on the quick solve!