Youngster Blamed For Forest Fire

An 11-year-old boy was responsible for starting a brush and forest fire that burned a mobile home near Sprague River, state police said Thursday.

The boy used wadded up newspapers to set fire to an abandoned cabin, and the flames spread to the surrounding brush and timber, investigators said.

Pushed by strong winds, the Whopper Fire started Monday and burned across 659 acres, including about 130 acres of the Winema National Forest, before it was contained Tuesday. Besides the cabin and mobile home, the fire destroyed seven vehicles and one outbuilding.