Spring Hill: from containment to a bonfire investigation (2019)

Containing the spread

The Spring Hill fire began March 30, 2019. On April 1, DEP reported 11,638 acres affected and full containment, with surrounding roads reopened. Investigators had already ruled out lightning, power lines and prescribed burning.

The later finding

In April 2020, DEP announced that investigators traced the fire to embers escaping an unauthorized bonfire on private property. A civil complaint charged five people with setting a fire without written permission and failing to extinguish it and notify authorities. The filing sought approximately $50,000 in restitution.

That later release said the fire burned for a month. Full containment on April 1 therefore should not be mistaken for the disappearance of every remaining fire or the end of suppression work.

The announcement documents an investigative conclusion and civil charges. No final judgment was located in this pass, so the complaint is not presented as a conviction or a restitution award.