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Firefighter Arrested In Anoka Co. Wildfire

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Apr 7, 2009 1:03 pm US/Central

Firefighter Arrested In Anoka Co. Wildfire

FOREST LAKE, Minn. (WCCO) ― The Anoka County sheriff's office says a firefighter has been arrested on suspicion of starting a fire that burned hundreds of acres in and near the Carlos Avery Wildlife Refuge.

The sheriff's office says the suspect is a 40-year-old man.

Fire officials said a strong north wind, dry grass and brush and wooded areas served as fuel for a fire that has cause more than 30 homes to be evacuated.

Strong, gusty north winds made the fire particularly tough to control. By the time it had consumed 1,500 acres it was advancing to the south, east, and west simultaneously.

Thirty homes were evacuated on Monday because of the fire, which was as long as three miles and as wide as one mile in some spots.

The firefighter is expected to be charged on Tuesday. The sheriff's office and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are investigating.

Authorities say at this time, there is no link to other grass fires that happened earlier in Anoka County.

So far there have been no reported injuries and no buildings destroyed. Firefighters are still on standby to battle flare-ups and hot spots.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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