TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Tahlequah Fire Department investigators arrested three people this week for setting more than 20 fires and draining multiple fire hydrants in at least three counties.

24-year-old Jacob Mills of Cherokee County, 21-year-old Sebastian Ritter of Adair County, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested for allegedly setting more than 20 fires and vandalizing multiple fire hydrants, which caused property damage and a significant loss of water to communities in at least three counties.

“Opening the fire hydrants that makes it so unsafe for our communities. It wasn’t just the fact that they were setting fires, but when you drain a fire hydrant and then set a fire and the fire department can’t have the water to put that fire out, you’re endangering so much more property,” said Ashley Stephens with ATF.

Tahlequah Fire Chief Casey Baker said the three who were arrested admitted they set five structure fires and several grass fires in Cherokee and Adair Counties. They also admitted they drained the water from fire hydrants in throughout Cherokee, Adair, and Sequoyah Counties.

The three suspects were identified in an investigation of two structure fires that happened early in the morning on April 21 in eastern Cherokee County, Baker said.

“We got a call about a structure fire in the eastern part of our county in the rural area. As the firefighters are responding, they got approximately two miles from that fire and we got another call to another structure fire in the same vicinity, but not right next to it,” Baker said.

It was at the second fire that firefighters spotted some suspicious people and confronted them.

Stephens said it was during that conversation that the men confessed to those fires and several others over several weeks.

Stephens said getting the three targets off the streets and putting a stop to the fires is a huge win for law enforcement and the fire departments.

“It’s sad that people are out there doing this type stuff. I don’t think we’ve really found out the reason why they did it but I’m glad that we did catch them and saved the property of the citizens that we serve in this community,” Stephens said.

Mills and Ritter were both booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center on potential charges of arson and burglary.

Federal charges are possible in this case.

The 17-year-old was released to his parents.

“This week’s arrests and the ongoing investigation are important examples of how agencies like Tahlequah Fire Department, the ATF, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service work together to make our communities safer,” Baker said. “This investigation is a relief for all of the fire departments that have been battling these suspicious fires. These arrests likely prevented more fires from being set and more water districts from suffering significant water loss and infrastructure damage. I appreciate the hard work of our firefighters, our fire investigators, and agencies like the ATF and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service for assisting us.”

Cherokee and Adair County law enforcement officials also assisted fire investigators.