BATON ROUGE, La. — Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division arrested Zachary Faulk, 30, of Merryville, on one count of negligent burning and one count of violating the state burn ban.
On August 17, investigators say Faulk allegedly set fires on his property during the burn ban. Due to extremely dry conditions in Louisiana, the fire burned out of control and onto adjacent properties, causing damage and threatening nearby structures. The fire burned more than 600 acres south of Merryville for several days and became known as the Bancroft Wildfire.
According to LDAF, on September 25, Faulk surrendered to the Beauregard Parish Jail on the Beauregard Parish charges. Bail was set at $50,000.
The public is urged to report any and all forestry-related crimes to the LDAF 24-hour hotline at 1-855-452-5323.
