WARNER, Okla. — Two Okla. volunteer firefighters are facing arson charges for starting fires last summer.
Firefighters Tobey Hadly, Jr., 19, and Robert Hill, 20, were arrested Wednesday, according to KJRH.
Both firefighters face seven counts of arson and embezzlement charges.
Suspicion grew around the firefighters after blazes started breaking out in remote areas in Warner. Fellow firefighters said they knew that the fires were being intentionally set.
“When (Hadley and Hill) always were the first to the scene, it pointed toward them that they were responsible,” Warner Police Chief Terry Thompson told 2News.
After further investigation, authorities arrested the pair.
The fires did not cause significant damage but were started during the state’s dry season, putting other firefighters at risk.
“We are very fortunate that nobody, to my knowledge, was injured,” Chief Thompson said.
“The men in the fire department are hardworking firefighters. They are discouraged — hurt — because that is not what they are about,” he added.
The embezzlement charges come from Firefighters Hadley and Hill also allegedly used their credit cards to purchase fuel for personal use.
This is the second time a Muskogee County firefighter has been arrested on arson complaints this year.
Firefighter Dustin David, 25, A Boynton firefighter admitted that he had set fires in August.