On Thursday (12th), the local prosecutor’s office of San Bernardino County, Southern California, announced multiple arson charges against 34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg. The Line Fire has currently burned 37,207 acres of land, with estimated losses around $14.5 million by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus, Supervisor Dawn Rowe, Assistant District Attorney Simon Umscheid jointly announced the charges. Prosecutor Anderson stated, “Arson, in my view, is an extremely despicable crime, it is baffling… unless you have some inexplicable fetish for watching others’ phones burn or people getting injured, arson serves no purpose.” He mentioned that the destruction caused by one person’s actions is irreparable and the community of 37,000 acres of forest and mountain areas may never be the same again.
The Line Fire started burning on September 5th in Highland, currently with a containment rate of 18%. One building has been destroyed, three damaged, more than 65,100 structures are threatened, and thousands of families have been displaced. Thousands of firefighters and emergency personnel are risking their lives, with three firefighters injured.
“Based on extensive and ongoing investigative evidence, we believe the defendant Halstenberg attempted arson multiple times within an hour.” The first attempt was on Bacon Ln., extinguished by local firefighters upon receiving the alert. The second attempt was east of Bacon Ln. near Baseline, put out by a good Samaritan. The suspect then set fire for the third time, which is now known as the Line Fire.
This is one of the three major wildfires currently happening in Southern California, with the others being the Airport Fire in Orange County and the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles County.
Halstenberg was previously a FedEx contract driver responsible for deliveries to warehouses. Automatic license plate readers detected his vehicle near the ignition points. According to Fox News, FedEx stated he no longer represents the company and was not on duty during the fire.
The prosecutor has brought forth 9 charges against Halstenberg, including aggravated arson, arson causing great bodily injury, arson of an inhabited structure, three counts of arson of forest land, and three counts of use of fire devices. As the wildfire continues, more charges may be filed by the prosecutor.
Dicus also mentioned during the press conference that the suspect may have accountability for other fires. Halstenberg was arrested on Tuesday and will be arraigned through video on Friday at the Cucamonga Ranch Superior Court, where the prosecutor’s office will request no bail.
California has experienced a significantly higher frequency of wildfires this year compared to the previous year. As of September 12th, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has reported over 6,000 wildfires, burning a total area exceeding 977,000 acres, while last year reported 5,053 wildfires burning 253,000 acres of land.