Our newsroom first told you about the arsonist setting bales in ditches on fire around Macklin last Monday and now, Macklin & District Fire/Rescue has upped the reward to find out who is setting fires in the area.

They posted on their Facebook page that the reward is now $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest. The latest dollar amount they say is thanks to an anonymous donor who bumped up the reward by $5,000. The reward had started at $3,000 after the town Fire Board came forward with cash.

They have now responded to more than 20 calls since late July. Initially it was all involving hay bales in ditches being set on fire. But the latest calls have been grass fires and the overreaching concern is that this will escalate into an even larger more damaging fire with crops still in the field.