Police detained a suspected arsonist allegedly responsible for the California wildfire that engulfed around 114 square miles and forced thousands to evacuate their homes, officials said Thursday.
Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, was arrested Wednesday on an arson charge and is being detained at the El Dorado County Jail on a $10 million bond. He faces charges related to forest-land arson, along with a special allegation of arson with aggravating factors. The fire, which started blazing on Saturday afternoon, put at least a dozen firefighters in serious danger, reports the Associated Press. None from the rescue teams was harmed.
Authorities accused him of "willfully and maliciously" setting fire to the land around Pollock Pines in El Dorado County. However, they did not reveal what led them to Huntsman. According to El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, the investigation related to the so-called King Fire began "within minutes" after the fire was reported. "I don't mean to be difficult," Pierson said at a press conference, reports NBC Bay Area. "I don't want to be difficult, but I don't want to comment specifically on anything that's not in the complaint."
Hunstman will be arraigned Friday.
The wildfire destroyed several vehicles; however, no harm was caused to the structures. The fire forced 2,800 people to evacuate their homes, as well as local Highway 50 that runs through El Dorado National Forest, which was closed again after reopening earlier Wednesday, reports NBC News.
At least 3,700 fire-fighters were deployed to control the wildfire. They said they had hoped that cooler temperatures and higher humidity that were forecasted might help bring the fire under control. An official told USA Today that the firefighting efforts cost more than $5 million a day.
The extreme fire behavior Thursday caused immense difficulty for the fire-fighters. "We are seeing some fire behavior in September that we have not seen before, that we have not seen in a long time," Cal Fire Unit Chief Mike Kaslan said.
