Arsonist accused of setting trash on fire in Willamette National Forest

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 69-year-old man was arrested for felony arson on July 15 after he allegedly set an illegally dumped pile of garbage on fire in the Willamette National Forest on July 6 — in the middle of a 100-degree heat wave — court records show.

Lane County resident Ricky Allan Townsend allegedly told Bureau of Land Management investigators that dumped the garbage in the national forest and set it ablaze with a canister of diesel fuel.

“The suspect confessed to...