Two Stolen Vehicles Burned In Barataria Preserve

On Sunday, September 16th, rangers responded to a report of a vehicle  fire within the boundaries of Barataria Preserve. Upon arrival, they found that a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche had been completely destroyed in the fire. Rangers and Louisiana State Police fraud investigators searched through the debris to locate a partial vehicle identification number and determined that the Avalanche had been stolen from a neighboring parish. Exactly one week later, the Jefferson Parish Emergency Operations Center contacted rangers and reported another vehicle fire in the Barataria Unit. This time they found a 1999 Ford Mustang completely engulfed in flames. An investigation into this incident determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen at a location several miles from the park. The fires resulted in complete loss of the vehicles, as well as fire and heat damage to nearby trees. Investigations are underway and rangers are pursuing several leads in both cases.