Arsonist believed to be lighting Tahoe fires

Two fires at Kahle Drive and Highway 50 on Sunday are believed to have been the work of an arsonist.

In the past two weeks, four separate small brush fires have been started off of hiking trails in the area of Stateline and Zephyr Cove.

Sunday’s fires were reported in Rabe Meadow at around 10 a.m. They were quickly extinguished by Tahoe-Douglas and Forest Service firefighters.

Investigators of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service and Tahoe Douglas Fire Department, are conducting an arson investigation in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Pat Brooks said due to the nature of the fires, they are believed to have been started by the same perpetrator.

Douglas County Secret Witness is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible.

Anyone with information on the fires or suspicious persons seen in the areas of Kingsbury Middle School in Lake Village or Rabe Meadow off Kahle Drive, or any other hiking trails in the area, is asked to call DCSO Investigator J. Schemenauer at 775-782-5126 or Douglas County Secret Witness at 775-782-7463.