Man admits to setting wildfires that burned 200 acres of National Forest

Michael Luttrell, of Corbin, is accused of setting wildfires that burned 200 acres of the Daniel Boone National Forest this week.

Several different wildfires that burned approximately 200 acres of land in the Whitley County portion of the Daniel Boone National Forest are the work of an arsonist, U.S. Forest Service officials claim, and authorities think they’ve caught the man responsible.

Michael L. Luttrell, 20, of Corbin was arrested Monday, a day after investigators believe he set several different wildfires in the Daniel Boone National Forest in the Whippoorwill area.

Luttrell was taken into custody around 6:00 p.m. Monday night at a residence on Hwy. 6. He apparently lives on Fourth Street in Corbin.

According to an arrest citation, Luttrell was contacted about some wildfires that officials suspected were caused by arson. He allegedly admitted that he had set some fires and showed Forest Service Officers where he set them.

Kimberly Morgan, a Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Forest Service Supervisor’s Officer in Winchester, said the fires Luttrell set were spotted by a Forest Service helicopter patrol.

"We use aerial detection for fires quite frequently, especially during fire season," Morgan said.

Spring Fire season in Kentucky runs from Feb. 15 through April 30. It denotes the time when weather conditions are "ripe" for wildfires.

Forest Service Officers were dispatched to the area and actually spotted Luttrell near where the fires were set. About five fires were set in all. Morgan said they burned together. Initially, Forest Service Officials thought they consumed about 100 acres of land, but revised the number to 197 Tuesday.

"We have to go in and develop fire lines on the ground. It takes awhile," Morgan said. "The fires are contained, but they are still burning. They are not completely out."

The fires are close to Laurel River Lake. Morgan said there are no developed hiking trails in the area.

Luttrell was arrested and charged with willfully setting a fire on land he doesn’t own and willfully using a device to set a fire.

He is currently lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Officials provided no apparent motive for the arsons.

Morgan said about 70 to 80 percent of wildfires in Kentucky are the result of arson.

"It’s definitely a problem in Kentucky. I don’t know why people do it," she said. "Some people just like to see that activity that results from the fire, or maybe they are mad at somebody."

Morgan said federal charges against Luttrell are pending.