Three teens are accused of starting a huge fire in a South Carolina state park by not putting out their cigarettes while they were on a hike trail, according to officials.
A report from the South Carolina Forestry Commission said that Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh (19), Tristan Tyler (18), and Isaac Wilson (18) were taken on Tuesday on charges related to the start of the Table Rock Fire.
A lot of hikers were forced to leave Table Rock State Park in Pickens County on March 21 when firefighters found a quickly spreading wildfire while looking for a lost hiker, according to the commission. The teens were among those hikers.
Investigators “obtained evidence that they allege identified these subjects as suspects in the origin of the Table Rock State Park fire,” the South Carolina Forestry Commission said. The people were asked about where the fire started.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission said that the arrest warrant affidavits show that the suspects smoked on a hiking trail in the state park and did not put out their cigarettes in a safe and proper way. This is what officials say started the Table Rock Fire.
The commission said that each of the three teens is charged with one count of carelessly letting a fire spread to someone else’s land or property, which is a lower level crime. After being booked, they were let go on $7,500 bail. Online court records didn’t show that they had an agent.
Anyone found guilty could spend up to 30 days in jail or pay a $200 fine.
The commission said that a fourth suspect, a minor, was charged with one count of the same crime and given back to his parents.
The Table Rock Fire started on March 21 and has burned more than 13,000 acres in South Carolina and North Carolina, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said Tuesday. As of Tuesday morning, it was 30% controlled.
Firefighters from several states came to help put out the fire, which forced more than 1,400 homes and businesses to close on Thursday.
Because of the high risk of wildfires, the South Carolina Forestry Commission banned all burning in all counties on March 21.
The next day, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced a state of emergency to help with the fight against the Table Rock Fire.
