LA GRANDE — Traffic was slowed late Friday, Feb. 23, after four fires were set along Interstate 84 between La Grande and Ladd Canyon. No injuries were reported.

The first of the four fires, all allegedly set by an adult male 2-3 miles east of La Grande, broke out in the median of I-84 about 3:50 p.m., according to La Grande Rural Fire Department Chief Craig Kretschmer.

The next two fires were set along the south side of I-84 about 2 miles east of La Grande. The fires were close to one another and each burned a swath of land about 100 yards long and 10 yards wide.

Law enforcement officers soon identified the person believed to be responsible for setting the fires and tried to detain the individual, Kretschmer said.

The man instead got into his vehicle, a Ford pickup, and set its back seat on fire and remained inside.

Law enforcement officers were able to remove him from the vehicle. He was then transported to the Union County Jail.

The vehicle fire was extinguished by firefighters. The pickup, about 75 yards north of the site of the fires east of La Grande, just off of the south eastbound lane, was badly damaged but did not explode, Kretschmer said.

The Oregon State Police, Union County Sheriff’s Office, La Grande Rural Fire Department, La Grande Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation all responded to the freeway blazes.

One of the two eastbound lanes of traffic was shut down for at least 45 minutes following the fires. No smoke from the fires impacted visibility along the freeway, Kretschmer said.