A 17-year-old boy has been charged with setting 19 wildfires that burned across Carbon County between March and November 2025, including a massive Easter weekend blaze that scorched 560 acres and cost more than $560,000 to suppress.

Carbon County District Attorney Michael Greek announced the charges at a news conference Friday, calling the fires extensive in scope and saying they devastated woodlands, endangered property and placed first responders at risk.

The juvenile has been charged with 19 counts each of arson endangering of persons, risking a catastrophe, recklessly endangering another person and maliciously setting or causing a fire to a forest; two counts of reckless burning; and one count of arson endangering property.

The most destructive wildfire, known as the Packerton Fire, began April 19 and wasn’t fully extinguished until April 26. More than 150 firefighters and first responders battled the blaze, which accounted for almost 10% of all acres burned in Pennsylvania in 2025. One firefighter was injured.

“It diverted resources from communities and put folks at risk,” said Deputy Secretary John Norbeck of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The 19 suspicious wildfires were in the areas of Franklin Township and Jim Thorpe, officials said. Investigators from the DCNR Bureau of Forestry worked with local law enforcement to determine the fires were incendiary in nature and ultimately identified the juvenile suspect, who was present at or near each fire scene.

The eight- to nine-month investigation proved challenging, officials said, because of the lack of physical evidence at fire origins.

“A lot of our origins, there was no physical evidence at all that was leading us to believe that something else was causing these fires, and that’s what made us think they were suspicious,” said Jake Novitsky, a DCNR fire forester who served as lead investigator.

Investigators employed numerous tactics, some of which cannot be disclosed, including increased patrols and surveillance in affected areas.

Chief County Detective Jack Soberick emphasized the difficulty of arson cases.

“Property crimes are among the most difficult to solve,” he said. “Arson is among the very most difficult to solve because you know what happened, but proving it and locking a person in is almost impossible. These guys doggedly fought through all the evidence, linked it together and made a case out of it.”

The investigation required extensive time from investigators.

“It’s just a lot of days not home with families,” Novitsky said. “As soon as they would sit down for dinner, pagers were going off.”

Greek singled out DCNR fire foresters Novitsky and Matt Waters, as well as Franklin Township Detective David Roberts, for recognition.

“Their level of investigative skill, persistence and professionalism were unparalleled, and without their hard work and determination, the successful resolution of this investigation would not have been possible,” Greek said.

The case involved collaboration among the DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Franklin Township Police Department, Franklin Township Fire Department, Lehighton Fire Department, Jim Thorpe Fire Department, Jim Thorpe Police Department and Carbon County detectives.

Pennsylvania experienced 1,136 wildland fires in 2025 that burned over 5,527 acres. Norbeck noted that 99% of wildfires in Pennsylvania are caused by human error, typically from debris burning or equipment.

“In this particular case, this is one of those where it is the 1%,” Norbeck said.

Greek said he could not comment on the motive or specifics of the investigation because the case involves a minor. The Carbon County Juvenile Probation Office will oversee the proceedings.

“Please remember that in any criminal investigation, the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Greek said.

Charges were brought against only one suspect in connection with all 19 fires.