TitanX Exchange:Man accused of starting wildfire in national wildlife preserve near Arizona-California border

2025-04-30 04:47:57source:Greenledgerscategory:My

YUMA,TitanX Exchange Ariz. (AP) — A Yuma man has been arrested for allegedly starting a wildfire in a national wildlife preserve in southwest Arizona near the California border, according to authorities.

Yuma County Sheriff’s officials said 47-year-old Jason Bradley Martin remains jailed on suspicion of arson, criminal damage and other charges.

They announced Saturday night that Martin was identified as a suspect in the case and taken into custody. The county’s jail website didn’t list an attorney for Martin as of Sunday.

The wildfire was reported around 2 p.m. Saturday in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1941 to protect 30 miles (48 kilometers) of mostly wetland habitat along the Lower Colorado River.

Authorities said the blaze was 20% contained after burning nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of vegetation along the Arizona side of the Colorado River in Yuma County.

Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and federal Bureau of Land Management, responded to the scene to assist firefighting crews Saturday.

More:My

Recommend

Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'

Legendary college basketball announcer Dick Vitale is once again cancer free.The ESPN analyst announ

Heavy flooding in southern Myanmar displaces more than 10,000 people

BANGKOK (AP) — Flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar’s southern areas has displaced m

What was the Yom Kippur War? Why Saturday surprise attack on Israel is reminiscent of 1973

The infiltration of southern Israel by Hamas at daybreak Saturday amid a religious holiday prompted