A Bedford County man is in jail on charges of setting fire to forest land near Huddleston, the Virginia Department of Forestry said in a news release.

The forestry department charged Michael Pollard, 21, of Lynch Station, with two felony counts of arson, said spokesman John Campbell.

Crews were called to one of the fires about 7 p.m. on Feb. 28, according to the news release.

A forester spotted a footprint at the origin of the fire and a bloodhound tracked the scent to Pollard's house, the forestry department said.

Pollard was interviewed and confessed to starting that fire and another, both of which burned about a fourth of an acre, according to the release.

He is being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail on $1,500 bond.

The forestry department also is investigating the causes of several other fires in the county ranging in size from a quarter acre to 28 acres, said Todd Kready, the department's Bedford County forester.

Those fires could be arson or accidental, Kready said.

-- Amanda Codispoti