Tum Tum Man Faces Charges For Setting March Wildfire

A Tum Tum man faces criminal charges for starting a 1,300-acre wildfire that burned for six days in March, destroying four mobile homes and numerous outbuildings.

Dale L. Fox, 44, pleaded innocent this week in Stevens County District Court to charges that he burned without a permit, started a fire negligently and negligently allowed it to spread off his property. No court date was set.

Deputy Prosecutor Lewis Schrawyer alleged Fox was burning waste or building materials in a pit behind his house when the fire got out control.

The charges are misdemeanors, each carrying a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. They are unrelated to possible civil actions by neighbors or the state to recover damages.

The state Department of Natural Resources has placed a lien on Fox’s property and plans a lawsuit to recover its firefighting costs.

, DataTimes