Serial Arsonists at Work, Officials Say

SACRAMENTO —  A handful of arsonists on the loose in Northern California are suspected of causing several of the wildfires that have scorched the region in recent weeks, state fire officials said Tuesday.

“We figure we have four or five serial arsonists working the north state,” said David LeMay, fire prevention chief at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We’ve had problems in Tehama, Butte, Napa, Lake, Shasta, Sonoma [counties]. All have experienced a significant number of arson fires.”

One blaze of suspicious origin has burned 40,000 acres in parts of Napa, Lake and Yolo counties and consumed a ranch over the weekend. The fire began in a remote canyon already hit by more than 15 suspected arson fires since the start of summer. All the previous fires were contained before they could do much damage.

Authorities are seeking information from the public about the three-county fire and a blaze in Shasta County, where flames hopscotched across 26,000 acres in the hills east of Redding this weekend, destroying 128 homes and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 residents.

The so-called Jones Canyon fire started near an isolated campground at the southern edge of Lake Shasta and appears to be of human origin, but the exact cause remains under investigation.

Although fire bugs may have set some of the blazes, Mother Nature has played a big role in turning them into infernos. Northern California has been bone dry for months, with low humidity and days of strong north winds--the perfect climate for roaring back-country blazes.

“The number of fires is higher than normal,” LeMay said. “It’s because of the wind and dry weather, but it’s also because some of these individuals are hitting us pretty hard.”

Lightning caused many blazes early in the season. Others have been ignited by people involved in target practice or leaving campfires unattended. A wind-whipped inferno that destroyed 51 homes last month in Happy Valley, about 10 miles south of Redding, was set by sparks spread by a trailer gate scraping along a roadway.

LeMay and other investigators are reluctant to go into specifics about the origins of the arson fires, fearing copycat blazes.

Information that leads to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist can net a reward of up to $10,000. A tip about an arson fire that causes injuries, death or damage to structures can fetch a reward of up to $25,000. The state maintains an arson hotline at (800) 47-ARSON.

Whatever the causes, the recent rash of wildfires in the north state has cost taxpayers plenty.

The three-county blaze, which for a time threatened vacation retreats at Lake Berryessa, about 40 miles west of Sacramento, has cost more than $1 million to fight. Full containment isn’t expected until today. More than $2.3 million has been spent fighting the Shasta County blaze east of Redding, which was fully contained Tuesday.

One fire that erupted in the remote canyons of the Trinity National Forest in August has been burning ever since, consuming more than 120,000 acres but damaging no structures.