A 17-year-old male 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 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 fire, 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.

"More than 150 firefighters and first responders were assigned to this multi-day fire, diverting resources from communities and putting 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."

Officials declined to disclose information about the teen because he is being charged as a juvenile,