Four teen have been charged in connection to a South Carolina wildfire started in Table Rock State Park that burned more than 13,000 acres.
The wildfire sparked on March 21st inside Table Rock State Park. It was discovered by Pickens County sheriff’s deputies, state park personnel and other first responders who wear searching for a missing hiker.
The search group evacuated seven hikers as the fire spread and conducted preliminary interviews to see if anyone knew about the origins of the fire. During these interviews three adults and one minor were singled out for follow-up questioning. South Carolina Forestry Commission investigators and Pickens County Sheriff’s Office detectives then obtained evidence that the four suspects had started the fire.
On Tuesday April 1st, Tristan Tyler William (18), Isaac David Wilson (18), Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh (19) and an unidentified juvenile were charged with with negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another.
According to the arrest warrant affidavits the four suspects failed extinguish their cigarettes which officials believe led to the ignition of the Table Rock Fire. The three adults were booked into the Pickens County Detention Center and released on personal recognizance bonds of $7,500 each. The juvenile subject was charged and released into the custody of his parents.
As we head into the summer season and folks head into our state and national parks, we want to remind folks that it is of the upmost importance to always be cautious when using fire (campfires, grills, ect.) and to extinguish cigarette butts completely and dispose of them properly. Read the press release from Pickens County Sheriff’s Office below.
Pickens County Sheriff’s Office (SC):
PICKENS COUNTY, S.C.—South Carolina Forestry Commission law enforcement officials have arrested three individuals on charges related to the origin of the now-13,000+ acre Table Rock Fire near Pickens, S.C.
This morning officers arrested Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh,19, of Taylors, Tristan Tyler, 18, of Greenville and Isaac Wilson, 18, of Greenville, charging them with one count each of negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another.
While involved in the search for a missing hiker in Table Rock State Park March 21, Pickens County sheriff’s deputies, state park personnel and other first responders discovered a rapidly growing wildfire. As part of their response, the search group located and evacuated seven hikers, several of whom were questioned about the origins of the fire.
During preliminary interviews, four subjects, three adults and one minor, were relocated to the C. David Stone Law Enforcement Center in Pickens for follow-up questioning. SCFC investigators along with Pickens County Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained evidence that they allege identified these subjects as suspects in the origin of the Table Rock Fire.
According to the arrest warrant affadavits, the suspects took part in smoking activities on a hiking trail at the state park and did not extinguish their cigarettes in a proper and safe manner, which officials allege led to the ignition of the Table Rock Fire.
The juvenile subject was charged with one count of the same offense; he was not booked and was released into the custody of his parents. The three adult suspects were booked into the Pickens County Detention Center and released on personal recognizance bonds of $7,500 each.
