Richland Woman Arrested for Starting Fire in Public Park

Especially with the dry conditions, high fire danger, and burn bans, this incident could have been much worse.

  Woman jailed after setting a fire in Richland Park.

Richland Police were called to Claybell Park Sunday afternoon for a report of a woman burning a pile of items in the parking lot. The park is located west of Steptoe and north of Clearwater in Richland.

When officers arrived the suspect was standing there, with a lighter in her hand, next to the pile of burning items. What she set fire to was not revealed by police.

The fire, said officers, was not far from the woodchip ground cover in the playground area, and close to an area of sagebrush.

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The woman, whose name was not released, was charged with Reckless Burning and violating Richland Park rules. Unauthorized fires are not allowed in any public Richland Park, and especially not when there is a state of emergency due to wildfire conditions.

The investigation continues.