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A Summer Filled With Fires, But Why?

Published: Tuesday, August 28, 2018 - 3:29pm
Updated: Tuesday, August 28, 2018 - 3:30pm
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This summer has been a particularly active, and often deadly, fire season. Right now, fire crews continue to combat the Hendrix, Holy, and Carr fires in Southern California, and several here in Arizona.

But, fighting a fire is only just one step in the process. Brent Robinson, a criminal investigator for the USDA Forest Service, is charged with the other side of a forest fire, the investigation.

Robinson is tasked with tracking down the origin and, in some cases, the culprit of wildfires burning throughout the U.S.

There are basically three different ways a forest fire can start — naturally by lightning, man-made causes, or arson. The Show spoke with Robinson from his office in Tucson and he started breaking these down for us. How common are each of those causes?

The Show