Three volunteer firefighters charged with setting woods fires

Three volunteer firefighters—two who volunteered with Supply Fire Department and one who volunteered with Civietown Fire Department—have been charged with setting woods fires.

According to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Steve Mason, Danny Lee Russell and Bobby Lee Harris were arrested for allegedly setting two woods fires Monday morning.

A third suspect, Miranda Garland, was arrested Monday afternoon, Mason said.

Russell, 18, of 1920 Clemmons Road, Bolivia, and Harris, 21, of 2409 Jolly Roger Road, Supply, were both charged with two counts of setting fire to woodlands and two counts of conspiracy, Mason said.

Bill Bailey, assistant fire chief with the Supply Volunteer Fire Department, said Russell had been with the department for about six months, while Harris volunteered with the department for more than a year.

“We’re the ones that found out about it and, within 12 hours, we had them turned in and they were removed,” Bailey said.

Garland, 18, of 1423 Wren Place, Shallotte, was charged with one count of setting fire to woodlands and one count of conspiracy. Garland was a volunteer with Civietown Fire Department. Information about Garland’s volunteering with Civietown wasn’t available at press time Tuesday.

The first fire was set around 10:30 p.m. March 12 at 411 Green Swamp Road, across from Lockwood Folly Park, Mason said. The first fire burned a “small patch” of ground, Mason said.

The second fire, which was set March 31 on Gilbert Road, burned about one-quarter acre, Mason said. While no structures were threatened by either blaze, Mason said the fires had the potential to spread into forest fires.