On Saturday, October 11, Police arrested a man for starting the Boles Fire that destroyed 157 residences and 8 commercial structures last month. Ronald Beau Marshall was charged with felony counts of arson to inhabited structures, property and forest land. The 516-acre fire wiped out a significant portion of the small town of Weed in northern California September 15.

Below are excerpts from an article in the Redding Searchlight:

“He was a person of interest from the first night,” [Weed Police Sgt. Justin] Mayberry said, adding that officers identified Marshall shortly after the fire started on Sept. 15.

Marshall is in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to Siskiyou County Jail records.

The investigation was complicated and required detailed analysis, Siskiyou County District Attorney Kirk Andrus said Saturday night.

“It involved fire-origin science and detailed work to uncover all of the circumstances and evidence,” Andrus said. “Rarely are arson-related events completely straightforward,” he added.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Chris.