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RE: Almeda fire (southern Oregon)
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Man arrested, charged with arson in connection with southern Oregon fire
Updated 6:12 PM; Today 3:43 PM [Sept 11, ‘20]
A Southern Oregon man is accused of arson in connection with a fire that has caused major damage to several towns in Jackson County.
Michael Jarrod Bakkela, 41, has arrested on two counts of arson, 15 counts of criminal mischief and 14 counts of reckless endangerment.
The fire Bakkela set is considered to be one of two origins of the Almeda fire, said Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office spokesman Rich Tyler. The two fires quickly merged, Tyler said.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday afternoon that on Tuesday evening, a resident of Phoenix saw a person, later identified as Bakkela, lighting a fire behind their house on Quail Lane. Because there was an impending blaze, the residents who saw him set the fire had to flee their home.
When state troopers and sheriff’s deputies arrived, they saw Bakkela standing close to a large fire that was threatening several homes.
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