Authorities Investigate Suspicious Fires Set Near Eufaula

Deputies in McIntosh County are on the lookout for someone setting grass fires.

About eight fires were reported along Highway 9 between the Indian Nations Turnpike and Eufaula on Monday, November 27.

The Vivian Fire Department responded to most of those fires with help from seven other departments called in.

The fire department stopped it before it got to a grain bin and a barn; that was another save on a busy day of firefighting.

The fire chief said he's got two dozen volunteers, but that wasn't enough to keep enough.

“Think we've got somebody going around setting them. We had too many going at one time,” said Vivian Fire Chief Robert Lane. “I've just got so many trucks, and we had to call in people last night to help us stop that one out here on Fisher Ranch.”

Most of the fires were on Fisher Ranch property along a couple of miles of Highway 9. 

Since the fires aren't threatening buildings, they're being allowed to burn out on their own. The fire chief said they all appeared to start right by the highway or a nearby road and he has no doubt they're not accidental.

“Somebody drove by and set them on fire because we was out there fighting a grass fire and we got the page there's some hay on fire, and we get another page we've got another fire somewhere else,” Lane recalled. “So, it's got to be an arsonist, someone going around setting them.”

The sheriff's office said they've had a couple of reports of a small silver or gray car spotted near the fires, but they don't have much else to go on.

The fire chief is just hoping for some rest after a busy start to the week.