Authorities seeking arsonist who set blazes along Fowl River

A fire bug lit three fires along Fowl River Wednesday, sparking wildfires that burned more than 100 acres of forests and wetlands.

MOBILE, Alabama -- An arsonist set three fires Wednesday in heavily wooded areas at the edge of Fowl River.
The fires roared through the dry pine forests along the river, scorching more than 100 acres.
Authorities said they found footprints in the area where the blazes were lit but had no suspects.
Fueled by strong winds Wednesday afternoon, the fire raced along the east bank of the river before jumping across and igniting trees on the west bank. The fire was centered in an area of the river known as "the Narrows," located near Alabama Port.
Seen from a boat traveling through a smoky Fowl River, the fire advanced several feet each minute, gobbling up dried grass and scrubby underbrush. Larger flames licked up the trunks of the pine trees, which hissed before catching fire in blooms of flame and smoke.
Cinders floated through the air, landing on the water with an audible fizzle.
The fire appeared to have burned several miles of shoreline within a few hours.
"The area where we fought the fire was over 100 acres," said Pat Burns, fire chief for the Alabama Port Volunteer Fire Department. "It was arson. It was intentionally set. It was set down off of a dirt road that backs up to the river. No houses were within a quarter of a mile of where it was set."
Burns said investigators from the Alabama Forestry Commission found footprints in the woods.
"It was right in the middle of nowhere, three separate fires right in one area. We’ve got a bad case of somebody who likes to play with matches," Burns said. "It jumped the river on us, but it was mostly to the east side of the river. The wind was just right."
Smoke from the blaze was visible across the bay in Fairhope on Wednesday afternoon, and the glow from the fires was visible from Dauphin Island that night. The woods were still smoking Thursday morning.
By Friday morning, the blaze had been extinguished. Officials asked anyone with information about the fire to call 251-873-4854 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              251-873-4854      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.