SC forestry worker charged in string of suspicious fires

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — An employee with the South Carolina Forestry Commission, which fights wildfires, has been charged in a string of suspicious fires earlier this year, the agency said.

Brad Chance, 52, was arrested Thursday on three counts of willfully burning someone else’s land following wildfires that happened in January and February in Berkeley County near the Francis Marion National Forest, the commission said in a statement.

Chance, who worked as a forestry technician in Berkeley and Charleston counties, was suspended without pay. He was hired in February 2021.

Court records weren’t immediately available to show whether Chance had a defense attorney who could speak on his behalf. A bond hearing was scheduled before a Berkeley County magistrate on Friday.

The Berkeley County sheriff’s office and state police investigated the fires, leading to the charges.

(WATCH BELOW: Wildfire burns hundreds of acres in Pilot Mountain State Park)

Wildfire burns hundreds of acres in Pilot Mountain State Park

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