A Norco person has been convicted of deliberately igniting the Line blaze that scorched some 44, 000 hectares of the San Bernardino Mountains and injured six rescuers, officials said.
On Thursday, 35-year-old Justin Halstenberg was found guilty of seven matters related to the Series blaze and two matters connected to a later incident, according to the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office. His costs include aggravated fire of forest land and property, and possession of explosive materials.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, prosecutors said.
Halstenberg became a subject of interest after an involuntary license-plate user linked his delivery vehicle to a place near the start of the Line blaze, which began Sept. 5. He was arrested in his mother’s Norco apartment, around 20 kilometers from the fire site, Sept. 10.
Prosecutors accused him of consciously starting three burns within a one hour in the area of Highland.
His first test was extinguished by paramedics near Bacon and Lytle roads, prosecutors said. The second was stomped out by a great Samaritan just south of Bacon Lane.
The second was set by the crossing of Base Line and Aplin roads and went on to become the Column fire. That incident forced the departure of more than 11, 000 people and destroyed several components, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Halstenberg pleaded not guilty to starting the Collection flames. His mother recently defended him to The Times, saying,” I do want to say this about my child child. He did not light that blaze, I repeat he did no light that fire”.
In closing arguments, lawyers said that Halstenberg had practiced starting fires in Jurupa Valley in 2023 using an ignition system consisting of a cigar box filled with papers and coins that were used to measure it over when tossed, according to reporting from the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Cops discovered a similar unit at the start of the Series fire, the outlet reported.
San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe praised prosecutors and lawyers for sending a text that vigilantes will be held responsible for their harmful actions.
” I commend the dignity and dedication of the District Attorney, County Sheriff, County Fire, and Cal Fire, who never lost sight of the weight of the injury caused”, she said in a speech. ” Now, they delivered justice for the victims, our people, and the land we all cherish”.
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