Former Ohio Fire Official Sentenced For Starting 26 Forest Fires To ‘Give The Boys Something To Do’

A former fire department administrator and 911 dispatcher in Ohio was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after admitting to starting dozens of forest fires to “give the boys something to do.”

James Bartels, 52, admitted starting 26 arson fires in Wayne National Forest in 2022, and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley to 18 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay more than $638,000 in restitution.

According to court records, Bartels began setting the fires after resigning as an administrator for the Greenfield Township Volunteer Fire Department. He allegedly admitted using a lighter to start the fires in order to “give the boys something to do.”

On Oct. 29, 2022, Ohio Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officers saw a truck registered to Bartels in an area of the forest where a fire was reported less than an hour later.

Bartels resigned as a Gallia County 911 dispatcher on Nov. 8, 2022, and in the days that followed, at least 17 new fires were set. In at least two instances, Bartels was seen in the vicinity of fires “within minutes” of their ignition. The infotainment system in his truck also placed him at the scenes of the fires.

In total, the fires burned some 1,300 acres of state and federal land, and required more than 100 firefighters, including some called in from other states.