A man was arrested on arson charges after allegedly starting a wildfire in California on Tuesday, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (SBSD) police report.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg was taken into custody and is being held on $80,000 bail after a team of local detectives and the state fire marshal identified him as a suspect in a fire in Highland, California that eventually escalated into a massive blaze known as the Rhine Fire. Report The 34,000-acre wildfire started Sept. 5 and spread quickly through the San Bernardino Mountains due to a combination of warm weather and high winds, and as of Tuesday night the blaze was only 14 percent contained. According to To the New York Times. (Related: Democrats and environmentalists oppose bill aimed at protecting California's iconic trees from wildfires)
“Highland Police Department detectives, working with Cal Fire investigators, have identified Justin Wayne Halstenberg as the suspect who started the fire, also known as the Line Fire, on September 5, 2024 in the area of ββBaseline Road and Alpine Street in the City of Highland.”
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β Inland Empire Community News (@iecnweekly) September 11, 2024
As of 2pm on Wednesday, around 18,000 people had been forced to evacuate their homes, forcing police to patrol deserted areas to prevent looting. According to To Reuters.
The Rhine Fire is one of three major wildfires currently burning in California, according to Reuters, with the Airport Fire having burned 23,000 acres in Orange County and another blaze having scorched 48,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles.
“There were no exits and the only way out was to drive through the flames,” said Ryan Lamothe, who lost his home in the airport fire. said local television news station KTLA5.
The SBSD report did not provide details about Halstenberg's motive or the method he allegedly used to set the fire.
SBSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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