Arson suspect in California's Line Fire sparked 2 other fires same day, may be linked to more blazes
The arson suspect arrested in connection with a California wildfire is believed to set off two other fires on the same day before he is alleged to have sparked the destructive Line Fire, which has engulfed more than 37,000 acres in San Bernardino County.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, is alleged to have set off three different fires last week, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Thursday. One evolved into the Line Fire, which has continued to burn after eight days, while the two others have been contained.
Dicus said investigators were able to tie Halstenberg to the scenes of all three fires. The investigation was indicative of “significant arson behavior,” and it is possible Halstenberg could be tied to other fires, Dicus said.
He said he could not speak to a motive Thursday.
"I can tell you that [based on] the evidence, just the evidence alone ... we have a significant certainty that this is our suspect," Dicus said.
Halstenberg has been charged with one count of aggravated arson, three counts of arson on structure or forest land, three counts of possession of material or a device for arson, one count of arson resulting in bodily harm, and a count of arson of an inhabited structure.
All nine felony charges are in relation to the Line Fire, authorities said. If he is convicted on the aggravated arson charge, Halstenberg could be sentenced 10 years to life in prison.
Inmate records show Halstenberg is being held at the West Valley Detention Center, and there is no attorney listed for him in court records. Authorities said he is set to be arraigned Friday.
Halstenberg has an active court case in Riverside County on charges of possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia from April. Records show that he failed to appear in court and that a warrant was issued for his arrest on July 12.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson described the case as ongoing because the fire is still ongoing. His office may continue to seek new charges depending on how much property is damaged and whether any people are injured or killed.
One of the counts is in relation to a firefighter who broke an ankle working to extinguish the Line Fire. Another charge is in relation to someone's home, which burned to the ground, Anderson said.
Officials have said they believe Halstenberg intentionally set a fire in the area of Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the city of Highland last week, which then erupted into the Line Fire. An automatic license plate reader flagged Halstenberg's vehicle near the area where the fire started.
The investigation led to a search warrant Tuesday, in which officials said they found evidence "that supported his arrest."
The Line Fire spanned 37, 207 acres Thursday and was only 18% contained, according to Cal Fire. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and authorized the state National Guard to assist.
It is one of three major wildfires ravaging Southern California in the midst of a heatwave. Firefighters hope cooler weather moving into the region will help.
The other two fires are the Airport Fire in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, and the Bridge Fire, burning in the mountains in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
Some progress was made Thursday in the Airport Fire, which was sparked accidentally by workers using heavy equipment, and containment rose to 5%, fire officials said. It is 23,410 acres.
The Bridge Fire was 51,167 acres Thursday and was 0% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. That fire is active but "behavior moderated significantly due to the slight increase in humidity and temperature decrease," the firefighting agency said in an update.
No deaths have been reported in any of the three fires, although homes have been destroyed.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com