A brush fire in the area of Campbell’s Ledge in Duryea brought fire departments from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties out to fight it. The fire is under investigation by the DCNR and the Duryea Police Department.
Courtesy of Colin Gildea
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The Duryea Police Department is investigating whether or not criminal charges will be filed after an early-morning brush fire blazed through Campbell’s Ledge.
The fire broke out sometime around 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to a report from Duryea’s Excelsior Hose Company No. 2., and brought departments from both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in to fight the fire, situated just off Coxton Road in Duryea.
The borough police department said Wednesday afternoon that they had taken a male into custody and transported him back to the Duryea police headquarters for questioning.
The male was released pending the outcome of the investigation, and charges have not been filed at this time.
According to police, the man was brought to their attention when an officer from the department arrived at the scene of the fire shortly before 3 a.m.
The officer noticed a shirtless man running down Coxton Road away from the direction of the fire, toward Main Street near John’s Service Center, and detained him. A release from the Duryea Police Department indicated that the officer “had cause and suspicions that the male had been in the area of the fire.”
Duryea police are being assisted by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resource (DCNR)’s Bureau of Forestry, according to a news release posted to the department’s Facebook page.
The DCNR will assist in investigating the origin and cause of the fire, now that the blaze has been contained. The investigation is ongoing, and will determine whether or not charges will be warranted.
A release from the Pittston Township Fire Department, one of the many local departments called in to fight the brush fire, said the flames were brought under control around 7:30 a.m. after nearly four hours.