2 men suspected of starting fire could get $37 million bill

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two men suspected of starting a wildfire last year that scorched 40 square miles of Oregon forestland could soon get a bill for at least $37 million.

Jeff Bonebrake with the Oregon Department of Forestry says they’re still finalizing firefighting costs for the 2015 Stouts Creek fire that burned east of Canyonville. The agency will send a bill once that’s done.

The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports (http://goo.gl/x6yKma ) that fire investigators believe 70-year-old Dominic Decarlo, of Days Creek, and 64-year-old Cloyd Deardorff, of Yuma, Arizona, used their lawnmowers during hours prohibited by fire restrictions when the blaze started July 30, 2015.

Kyle Reed with the Douglas Forest Protective Association says the men were cited for unlawful use of fire. Decarlo paid $110 in fines and Deardorff paid $440.

But Oregon also holds individuals financially responsible for fire suppression costs.

The men could not be reached for comment. Bonebrake says people can challenge the costs or their responsibility in the fire.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com