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Tag: arson

Arrest in last summer’s Oak Fire

Author Kelly AnderssonPosted on Categories ArsonTags , , , 8 Comments on Arrest in last summer’s Oak Fire

A 71-year-old man was arrested and charged with starting the 2022 Oak Fire, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said yesterday. Edward Fredrick Wackerman of Mariposa, California, faces felony charges including aggravated arson for the fire that burned 19,244 acres and destroyed 127 residential structures and dozens of outbuildings. The Fresno Bee reported that the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park ignited about 2 p.m. on July 22, 2022, in Midpines.

Edward Fredrick Wackerman, 71, accused of starting the 2020 Oak Fire in Mariposa County, SHERIFF'S OFFICE photo
Edward Fredrick Wackerman, 71, SHERIFF’S OFFICE photo

CAL FIRE law enforcement officers arrested Wackerman, according to the Mariposa Gazette, after an extensive interagency investigation, on multiple felony charges including suspicion of aggravated arson PC 451.5, arson that causes great bodily injury PC 451(a), and arson causing damage or destruction of inhabited structures PC 451(b).

The investigation was a collaborative effort among multiple agencies including CAL FIRE Law Enforcement, Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, USFS Law Enforcement, NPS Law Enforcement, Madera County District Attorney Investigators, Mariposa County District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Justice Attorney General’s Office, and the FBI.

Oak Fire 2022

There were no reported fatalities caused by the Oak Fire, but Cal Fire said some were injured and treated, almost all for heat-related illness, and the fire burned for almost a month.

Oak Fire 2022

Officials initially said they were limited on what they could discuss in order to protect the investigation, but the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said it planned a news conference for 10 a.m. Tuesday in front of the Mariposa County Courthouse; it will be streamed live on Facebook.

Suspected arsonist captured and tied to tree by locals

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 10 Comments on Suspected arsonist captured and tied to tree by locals

Updated at 12:06 p.m. PDT July 27, 2022

mapJ uly 25 arson fires in Southwest Oregon
General area of the July 25 arson fires in Southwest Oregon.

On Monday a Bureau of Land Management employee reported that a man was walking down a road igniting vegetation fires in a remote area about 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass, Oregon.

From the AP:

Ground crews, assisted by local residents, and three helicopters quickly got the two fires under control, Curry County Sheriff John Ward said.

Meanwhile, three local residents located the suspect walking on the road near the fires and detained him.

“It was reported that the suspect became very combative with the three residents and had to be tied to a tree to subdue him.,” Ward said in a statement. “An ambulance crew was asked to respond due to some injuries that the suspect apparently received from falling down.”

Smith was transported to Three Rivers Hospital in Grants Pass and once he was medically cleared, transported by US Forest Service law enforcement to the Curry County Jail and held on Reckless Burning and two counts of First-Degree Arson. There was also a Detention Warrant in effect out of Lane County for probation violation.

Trennon Ray Smith mug shot
Trennon Ray Smith. Lane County Sheriff’s Office.

After numerous arson fires, citizen group solved the case using 50 cameras

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 10 Comments on After numerous arson fires, citizen group solved the case using 50 cameras

A person is in a Northern California jail, charged with 10 counts of arson

smoke from a fire in Sonoma County near Monte Rio
Image of smoke from a fire in Sonoma County near Monte Rio as seen from the Alert Wildfire camera at Siri, at 9:37 a.m PT Feb. 11, 2022. The intersection of the lines from the two camera locations indicate the approximate location of the fire. More information about this fire.

Two women who were fed up with multiple arson fires set in the woods near Monte Rio in Northern California began an investigation that resulted in the arrest of Jack Stanley Seprish, a transient who was charged with 10 counts of arson in Sonoma County Superior Court. His bail was set by the judge at $920,000.

With the help of donations from the community of money and labor, they bought or borrowed and installed more than 50 motion-detecting cameras, with many of them mounted high up on trees in the forest around Monte Rio. Some of them could be monitored remotely and sent notifications to phones when motion was detected.

Below is an excerpt from the Press Democrat:

For [Kari] Morrissey, a criminal defense attorney, and her collaborator, Sara Paul, Seprish’s arrest marks the culmination of an intensive, three-month partnership with local fire officials — one undertaken on behalf of the community and with its support.

Funding for more than 50 cameras placed strategically near encampments and pathways that seemed likely to elicit hits, came largely from Friends of Villa Grande, as well as the private Bohemian Grove. Random citizens also dropped off money and cameras at the Monte Rio firehouse.

As a defense lawyer, Morrissey said she was not prepared to assume he was responsible for the fires “for quite along time,” however. Then May 6, a photo came across her phone of Seprish lying in the forest using some kind of torch that cast flames larger than a cigarette lighter.

It’s one of hundreds of photos she has turned over to Cal Fire, she said.

Person starting a fire
Person starting a fire. Kari Morrissey & Sara Paul.

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

Jury finds man guilty of arson for starting the August 2020 Dolan Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , , 7 Comments on Jury finds man guilty of arson for starting the August 2020 Dolan Fire

The blaze burned more than 124,000 acres along the coast and mountains of Central California in 2020

Ivan Geronimo Gomez
Ivan Geronimo Gomez. Monterey County Jail photo.

A 31-year old man was convicted Thursday of starting the Dolan Fire that burned 124,527 acres along the coast and mountains of Central California in 2020. A judge found Ivan Gomez guilty of arson, throwing rocks at a vehicle, cultivating marijuana, and 11 counts of cruelty to animals for killing multiple condors. In all Mr Gomez was found guilty of 16 felony counts.

After the fire started on August 18, California State Parks personnel detained Gomez at the John Little State Natural Reserve near the fire’s origin in Dolan Canyon. He had been seen throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 1 and the Lime Creek Bridge. Mr. Gomez told officers that he had started the fire at an illegal marijuana grow on the other side of the ridge and killed five men.

Map of the Dolan Fire
Map of the 124,527-acre Dolan Fire, Central California, 2020.

There was no evidence of any homicides, but a multi-week investigation by US Forest Service fire investigators confirmed the fire did in fact originate at the illegal marijuana grow site. According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, this piece of evidence proved to be key as the defendant correctly identified the area of origin, which was also confirmed by a defense expert. The evidence showed Mr. Gomez would have had time to start the fire around 5 p.m. and make it to the Lime Creek area where he was confronted at 8:15 p.m. Firefighters testified that no other individuals were found in this area and that the defendant was shirtless, sweating, and was found with multiple lighters on his person when contacted by law enforcement. The lighters were in working order and matched others found at the point of origin. In a three-hour interview with detectives from the Sheriff’s Department Mr. Gomez admitted numerous times that he started the fire.

The Dolan fire destroyed 14 structures including 10 residences. It also ruined multiple condor nesting structures and caused 12 condor birds to perish, injuring several more.

On September 8, 2020 the fire burned over and destroyed the US Forest Service fire station on Nacimiento-Fergusson Road seven miles from the California coast highway. Personnel there at the time included two USFS engine crews, two dozers with operators, and the only Division supervisor working the night shift due to a shortage of personnel. Fifteen firefighters deployed into only 13 fire shelters. Four were injured and three were hospitalized. One had very serious burns and had to rely on contributions from a GoFundMe account to help pay for his desperately needed long-term medical treatment, since the federal government dragged their feet in paying the bills.

Three males charged with arson for fire that destroyed 13 homes in Montana

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 3 Comments on Three males charged with arson for fire that destroyed 13 homes in Montana
Suspects fire Gibson Flats, MT
L to R: Brandon Cordell Bennett Jr., Jevin James Mclean, Galvinn Coates Munson. Photo: Cascade County Detention Center.

Three teens have been charged with arson for starting two fires last week, one of which destroyed 13 homes, 16 outbuildings, and numerous vehicles in Gibson Flats just south of Great Falls, Montana.

Those charged were Brandon Cordell Bennett, Jr. 18; Jevin James Mclean, 19; and Galvinn Coates Munson, 19; all of Great Falls.

Munson was also charged with 15 counts of criminal endangerment. Bennett received an additional charge of tampering with evidence for reportedly “wiping” his phone.

The two fires, which burned about 120 acres, started at around 2:40 a.m. December 1 pushed by strong winds gusting at more than 50 mph.

“One of the defendants disclosed that all three of them were driving around the area the night this occurred smoking marijuana and shooting fireworks at each other inside the vehicle,” Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said in a news conference.

The Sheriff said the fact that no one was killed was a “complete miracle.”

Firefighter with pending arson charges crashes while responding to fire, gets DWI

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 2 Comments on Firefighter with pending arson charges crashes while responding to fire, gets DWI

Firefighter Close Calls regularly sends out news about incidents that affect firefighters. Yesterday’s message described three that were rather bizarre.

  • Two firefighters in North Carolina were responding to a fire in their own vehicles at 2:30 a.m. when one of them ran off the road and crashed. Both were charged with Driving While Intoxicated. They were both already scheduled to appear in court in January to face multiple unrelated counts of arson, and now will also have court appearances in January to face the DWI charges. One of them is in line to become Chief of his department in January.
  • A fire apparatus in North Carolina rolled over while returning from a parade.
  • A Paramedic holding onto a utility vehicle while riding a bicycle to an emergency call was pulled under the vehicle and killed in the Line of Duty.

Here are the details from Firefighter Close Calls:

Two North Carolina Firefighters have been charged with DWI following a crash responding to a fire. Orrum Township VFD Assistant Chief Kenneth Aaron Caulder Jr. and Fairmont RFD Deputy Chief Melquan Williams have been charged with DWI and had their driver’s licenses revoked for 30 days following a crash on Saturday, Williams was to become chief of the department in January.

Reports are that the two men were responding to a structure fire when the crash occurred. Williams was following Caulder’s vehicle. Both men were driving their personal vehicles.

Caulder crashed his Jeep on N.C. 41 around 0231 hours when the vehicle crossed the centerline, “ran off the road to the right and struck a ditch.” He refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Caulder and his female passenger, who were not wearing seat belts, were ejected. Both were transported by Robeson County EMS to UNC Health Southeastern for treatment of minor injuries. Cops said Williams had a strong odor of alcohol and later blew a .14.

In July 2018, Caulder and Williams were among 10 other Firefighters with Fairmont Rural and Orrum Township VFD’s charged with arson. Charges came after an investigation by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office; State Bureau of Investigation; Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the N.C. Forest Service.

Caulder was charged with six counts of felony arson, burning a church, uninhabited house, store, two counts of felony setting fire to grass, brush, woods, and seven counts of felony conspiracy. He will appear in court for arson charges on Jan. 14 and on Jan. 20for the DWI charge.

Williams lost his job as a Maxton police officer in 2018 following the arson investigation, of which received charges of one count each of felony arson, burning a church, uninhabited house, store, and felony conspiracy. He will appear in court Jan. 7 for arson charges and Jan. 20 for DWI.

==RESPONDING FIRE APPARATUS ROLLS IN PA AND IN NORTH CAROLINA

==PENNSYLVANIA
Four Chester County (near Philly) Firefighters were injured after the fire apparatus they were in was involved in a crash, causing it to overturn. On Friday afternoon, Dec. 3, Sadsburyville Fire Co. was dispatched to Sadsbury Township for a report of an electrical fire inside a house. The engine was traveling south on Old Wilmington Road in the direction of the initial incident. The fire engine then became involved in a rollover crash.

Fortunately the 4 Firefighters inside the fire truck were wearing seat belts. The Firefighters were able to self-extricate from the vehicle and were tended to by EMS responders on the scene. All injuries were minor.

==NORTH CAROLINA:
A Hubert VFD fire apparatus returning from a parade rolled over this morning. The Captain was reportedly having chest pains just prior to the incident. KTIYP’s.

==LITTLE ROCK PARAMEDIC LODD UPDATE
A Paramedic was holding onto the roll cage of a utility vehicle while riding a bicycle to an emergency call at the Little Rock Marathon on Nov. 21 when he was pulled under the vehicle and killed in the Line of Duty.

EMS Major Dean Douglas, 50, died in the Line of Duty last Friday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from severe head trauma caused by the crash.

About 1000 hours Nov. 21, two hours after the marathon started, Douglas and two other EMS members were dispatched to a call about a marathon runner needing medical assistance. Neothe EMS members in the UV were injured.

Major Douglas’ last act of heroism was donating his organs. A father of three, owned D2 Comics and More in Jacksonville, and was a volunteer Fire Captain with the Gravel Ridge Fire Department. He also was a Navy veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.

Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.
BillyG
The Secret List 12/4/2021-1545 Hours