A man from Shasta County was arrested on suspicion of sparking a North Bay wildfire by driving more than four miles on a tire-less wheel, grinding sparks on the asphalt the whole way, authorities said.
Related Articles
Photos: California’s largest wildfire so far this year
Park Fire consumes over 350,000 acres; Paradise under evacuation warnings
Creek Fire burns almost 750 acres in Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve
Crews halt forward progress of Point Fire in Contra Costa County
Flynn Fire approaching full containment near Livermore
The Flora Fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in Sonoma County on Chalk Hill Road east of Healdsburg and northeast of Windsor, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters stopped the fire’s spread that evening, halting its burn footprint at 36 acres; no injuries or serious damage were reported.
Also that evening, authorities arrested Justin Roy Jones, 44, of Anderson, on suspicion of starting the fire. He was reportedly seen driving a truck without a right-front tire, “creating sparks as the truck grinded on the asphalt,” Cal Fire wrote in a news release.
The sparks ignited three fires along Chalk Hill Road, Cal Fire said.
Jones was booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire, and for an unspecified probation violation, authorities said. Jail records show that he was no longer in custody as of Sunday afternoon.