10 others charged in connection with starting other fires in National Forests

The U.S Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that Steve Butcher has been arrested on eight charges, one of which includes starting the 2006 Day Fire.

 

The Day Fire erupted on Labor Day 2006 and burned for a month straight, destroying 162,000 acres of land in the Los Padres National Forest. The fire could be seen and smelled from nearly every angle of Santa Clarita, as it burned just north of Castaic. When it was all said and done, the cost to fight that fire stood at $78 million. 

 

Butcher was also charged with starting the 2002 Ellis fire, which burned 70 acres in Piru Canyon; the same starting location as the Day fire.

 

While Butcher has been charged with starting the fire, the U.S Attorney’s Office clarified that he will not be charged with arson. It is believed that both fires were started when Butcher, who is a transient, made camp fires that emitted embers that lit surrounding landscape. Each of the eight counts Butcher has been charged with could carry up to five years in prison.

 

[view:node_ad=5]10 others were charged with similar criminal acts that started other fires in national forests. Those cases range from a woman who lit a signal fire after being separated from her boyfriend, to a contract worker who used a circular saw without a spark arrester, which sent a bevy of sparks that lit the surrounding area.

 

 “These cases illustrate the widespread damage that can result when people ignore simple rules that are in place to limit the potential for starting serious wildfires,” said United States Attorney George S. Cardona. “The rules are there for a reason, and we hope that these cases will remind people that ignoring these rules can have serious consequences.”

 

Los Angeles National Forest representative Stanton Florea echoed U.S. Attorney Cardona’s call for people to take heed of the rules. He said that the Forestry Department does much to get the word out to people so that such instances can be avoided. Frequently, park rangers will discuss fire safety with visitors, and the popular Smokey the Bear informs children on how to prevent forest fires.