The Region - News from May 10, 1985

A Kern County man was sentenced to one year probation after pleading no contest to carelessly causing a brush fire that burned 26,000 acres of rugged Sierra Nevada foothills near Lake Isabella last summer. Reppard Thornton, 52, was accused of losing control of a debris fire in his yard last July 7 in the Bodfish area south of the lake. About 2,000 firefighters from seven states took a week to control the blaze. Seventeen firefighters were injured, and nine buildings were destroyed or damaged. A mistrial was declared in February when a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A second trial had been scheduled before Thornton changed his plea.