Spring Valley man charged with misdemeanor in Oct. 13 brush fire

A rural Spring Valley man has been charged with a misdemeanor for his role in an Oct. 13 brush fire that required more than 30 companies to control, police said Monday.

Montgomery L. Moreno, 61, was charged Thursday with negligent burning, a Class C misdemeanor carrying up to 30 days in jail, Spring Valley police said in a news release issued Monday.

Moreno was given a notice to appear Nov. 8 in Bureau County Circuit Court, Spring Valley police said.

Calls placed to two numbers listed for Moreno either did not go through or were obsolete. A lawyer who had represented Moreno in a previous matter said he had “no information to share.”

Spring Valley Police Chief Adam Curran said previously he anticipated a charge, albeit a minor one, after fire spread across a field located across from Valley Memorial Park and south of the Walmart Distribution Center. A confluence of events including high winds and scheduled maintenance at the city’s water tower forced firefighters to truck in water with assistance from more than 30 responding agencies.