A former professor was indicted by a grand jury in California after he allegedly set fire to a forest behind cleanup attempts from firefighter companies.
Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, of San Jose was charged Thursday with four counts of arson to federal property and one count of setting timber afire, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
CALIFORNIA’S DIXIE FIRE BECOMES THIRD-LARGEST WILDFIRE IN STATE HISTORY
From approximately July 20 to Aug. 7, Maynard “maliciously damaged and destroyed” or “attempted to damage and destroy” forests behind firefighters attempting to put out the Cascade Fire, Everitt Fire, Ranch Fire, and the Conard Fire, according to court documents.
Some fires Maynard set were new blazes behind the officials fighting the Dixie Fire, according to the Justice Department. The Dixie Fire, which began on July 14 and ran until October, destroying millions of acres and property, became California’s second-largest wildfire.
If convicted, Maynard faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, along with a fine of $250,000 for each count of arson, officials said. Committing arson to federal property has a required minimum sentence of five years in prison.
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California’s largest wildfire, which became known as the 2020 August Complex Fire, led to 1,032,648 acres being burned, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
