LA Fire Began as Arson: Feds

Unusual case links arson to deaths

(NEWSER) - California officials have taken the unusual step of charging a wildfire arson suspect with murder in the death of 5 people who suffered heart attacks escaping the flames. Prosecutors intend to prove the stress of the fire caused the deaths in the massive 2003 San Bernardino blaze. The groundbreaking case will be complicated by the fact that the victims had a history of heart disease, reports AP. The suspect is already in prison on a burglary conviction. More»

(NEWSER) - The fight to contain the deadly Los Angeles-area Station fire has so far cost more than $37 million, the LA Times reports, and that’s not counting property damage or the cost to the environment. The blaze is still burning through the San Gabriel Wilderness, but it’s 42% contained, and no longer threatens any homes. Officials are clearing debris basins, worried that rains will bring heavy erosion. More»

Station fire, 42% contained, chars 148K acres

(NEWSER) - Investigators of a deadly Los Angeles wildfire are having a substance from the scene tested to confirm whether the blaze was man-made. “There was material that didn't belong there," a source tells the Los Angeles Times. "It was clear evidence that the fire was intentionally set." Even if negligence caused the fire, homicide charges are still in order after the deaths of two firefighters this week, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. More»

(AP) - Federal authorities failed to follow through on plans earlier this year to burn away highly flammable brush in a forest on the edge of Los Angeles to avoid the very kind of wildfire now raging there. Months before the blaze erupted, the US Forest Service obtained permits to burn away the undergrowth and brush on more than 1,700 acres of the Angeles National Forest. But just 193 had been cleared by the time the fire broke out. More»

(NEWSER) - The Station fire raging near Los Angeles is 22% contained tonight, authorities tell the Times—though they caution that if the weather turns uncooperative again the blaze could worsen. Some evacuation orders were lifted. The Mount Wilson observatory and a nest of communication towers nearby were still threatened, however, and firefighters said the overnight hours could be crucial in saving them. More»