Louisiana Authorities Asking For Information and Offering Reward in Louisiana Tractor Fire Investigation in Avoyelles Parish

Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana – The authorities in Louisiana are looking for information in an Effie, Louisiana tractor fire investigation.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM) and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Agriculture Crimestoppers Reward Program are teaming up to ask for the public’s assistance in investigating a recent tractor fire in Effie, Louisiana, situated in Avoyelles Parish.

On the morning of Sunday, June 18th, 2023, at approximately 7:30 am, the Effie Volunteer Fire Department received a call about a smoking tractor found in the 300 block of Effie Highway. Upon arriving at the location, it was discovered that a John Deere 7820 tractor parked in a field on farmland had suffered significant damage due to the fire.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials discovered that the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO) was currently looking into a recent situation of someone entering the same property without permission.

After investigating the location of the tractor fire, gathering proof, and questioning witnesses, deputies are unable to dismiss the likelihood of an electrical error or the deliberate act of setting the fire. It’s estimated that the fire broke out after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 17th.

The SFM is requesting individuals who have knowledge about the fire to contact their Arson Hotline at 1-844-954-1221 or submit the details through their online tip form on the website lasfm.org. All submitted tips will be kept anonymous. Additionally, the LDAF’s reward program, which is sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and the Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association, is providing a monetary reward for confirmation of the fire being deliberately set and for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in any criminal case that is accepted and pursued.