Two Southwest Louisiana men are accused of trespassing on private property, stealing firewood and setting fire to 76 acres of timber in rural  Allen Parish.

Bradley Ashworth, 24, of Kinder was arrested March 25 on charges of theft of timber and criminal trespass following an investigation into a March 11 wildfire on Gitty Up Lane in Leblanc.

The fire caused nearly $6,000 in damages to timber and burned nearly 76 acres of timber.

A second suspect, identified as Lance Templet, 47, of Iowa, La., is wanted on charges of arson and criminal trespass.

Anyone who knows Templet’s whereabouts is asked to call the LDAF 24-hour hotline at 1-855-452-5323.

An investigation found the fire, which was set close to where someone had been cutting down hardwood trees for firewood, to be arson, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Investigators learned that Ashworth and Templet had gone to the property without permission and cut timber for fireworks to sell.

Templet is accused of setting a fire while Ashworth cut the firewood.

Neither men owned the property or had permission to be on the property, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

“Timber is a valuable, long-term investment,” Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said in a press release. “It is imperative for landowners to pay close attention to activity of their property and immediately report a suspected crime. LDAF enforcement agents take agriculture and forestry-related crimes seriously, and they will seek justice when individuals break the law.”