A HELICOPTER pilot alerted authorities to the presence of a burning and stolen vehicle in a pine plantation at Mount Burr on Monday afternoon.
Wattle Range Country Fire Service group officer Fred Stent said the brigades at Mount Burr, Mount McIntyre and Millicent were paged at 12.25pm after the civilian aircraft report the incident.
However, Mr Stent said crews were not mobilised as they were not required at the blaze near Golf Course Road.
“The fire was contained by a crew from OneFortyOne Plantations,” Mr Stent said.
The vehicle was gutted and was removed from the scene by a Millicent contractor.
A Mount Gambier Police crime scene examiner attended to the scene and determined the fire was suspicious.
The early model utility had been taken from the front yard of a Millicent house over the weekend.
Robert Hammat is the owner of the 1992 white Mitsubishi Triton tray top and told The South Eastern Times it was stolen overnight on Saturday.
“I have just spent $600 on a new exhaust system as well as belts,” Mr Hammat said.
“The front end has been destroyed but some parts are salvageable.”
Towing contractor Jim Garner said the company had the contract to remove such vehicles from the region’s forests and is called to dozens of vehicle retrievals each year.
Police have asked members of the public to contact them with any relevant information via the Crimestoppers Hotline on 1800 333 000.
