POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A high school teacher in Polk County was arrested Sunday after he set a fire in his backyard that grew to be 5 acres, according to sheriff’s officials.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to Cox Road in Bartow, where firefighters were fighting a fire.
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Brian Webster, 57, told deputies he was burning cardboard boxes and other materials inside an old refrigerator and had monitored the fire until he thought it was no longer a threat, officials said.
Webster then said he noticed the fire had spread and he wasn’t able to extinguish it.
There is currently a burn ban in effect in Polk County.
This arrest came after brush fires wreaked havoc across the region over the weekend,burning 20 cars and closing I-95 in Volusia County while also scorching an Osceola County nursery.
“There is good reason why Polk County officials issued the burn ban, and Sunday’s numerous brush fires are a perfect example of that. Additionally, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency recently due to extreme drought. Property and lives are at risk, and we will charge people appropriately,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a release.
Webster faces charges of reckless land burning, burning during a state of emergency, reckless/careless pollution and violating the county burn ban.
He is a teacher at Bartow High School.
Polk County Public Schools released the following statement:
Polk County Public Schools has been notified of the misdemeanor charges against Brian Webster, who is an ESE teacher at Bartow High. We will continue to review this matter and take action if appropriate and necessary.
PCPS encourages everyone to adhere to the countywide burn ban and appreciates the hard work of our local fire fighters in keeping our community safe during this unusually active brush fire season.
No other information was released.