Matthew Wallace.An Alabama man confessed to starting a Monday fire in Sequatchie County with a cigarette.
Matthew Wallace of Tuscaloosa is charged with setting fire to personal property or land after he admitted to throwing a cigarette in a pile of leaves along Standifer Grant Road and watching flames start.
"Mr. Wallace stated that he watched flames start and watched it grow to the size of his boot and then left the area without attempting to extinguish the fire or call anyone for help," a news release from the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Office said.
Officers were dispatched to the area of the fire Monday morning. Callers said they had seen a small truck leaving the area.
A property owner in the area captured a picture of Wallace's gold Ford Ranger on a deer camera. Detectives from the state agriculture crime unit found the truck at a home in Hamilton County late Monday afternoon and returned him the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Office.
Wallace is being held on an open court bond, according to the sheriff's office.