A Rocky Grove man is facing charges, including arson, for leaving a fire unattended in his back yard Thursday, causing the blaze to spread and endanger several nearby buildings.
Sugarcreek police said Gregory Blair, 70, intentionally set the fire in his burn barrel and the blaze eventually got out of control because of the “extensive debris and clutter in his backyard.”
Police said they were called at about 10 a.m. Thursday to Gilfillan Street to check on the fire in Blair’s backyard, which had escaped the unattended burn barrel and spread to the surrounding area close to other buildings.
A nearby building was scorched by the heat and multiple other buildings were within four or five feet of the building getting scorched, police said.
Firefighters at the scene told police that if the fire “had went on for maybe 15 more minutes it would have caught multiple surrounding homes on fire,” police said.
Blair was charged with felony counts of arson endangering property-reckless endangerment of inhabited buildings, reckless burning or exploding, and risking catastrophe as well as five misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.
He was arraigned Friday before district judge Matthew Kirtland, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
