California Fire Agency Makes 160 Arson Arrests in 2022

Firefighters work on extinguishing the Coastal fire in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on May 11, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Officers investigating wildfires in California made 160 arson arrests last year—up from 149 in 2021—the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) recently reported.

The number of people arrested for intentionally setting fires in the Golden State has steadily increased in the past four years as officers more diligently investigate arsons and the number of private and public cameras grows, Cal Fire’s Chief of Law Enforcement Gianni Muschetto told The Epoch Times.

“Any intentional fire we can stop through arrest benefits the public,” he said.

Last year, significantly fewer acres were burned in California but it’s unclear whether the arson arrests played a part in the reduction.

First-Responders continue their efforts in containment of the Coastal Fire as teams work through the debris of the destruction of the Coronado Pointe neighborhood of Laguna Niguel, Calif., on May. 13, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“It’s hard to ever know [if the arrests helped reduce fires last year,] but the arson arrests definitely prevent potential future fires,” Muschetto said.

In 2022, over 360,000 acres burned compared to the year before when nearly 2.7 million acres burned. The state’s five-year average is 2.3 million acres each year.

Reducing intentionally set fires through arrests can help the public and firefighters, protect property, and prevent environmental damage, Muschetto said.

Homeowners and communities have also helped officers identify suspected arsonists by installing more outside cameras, such as the popular Ring cameras. Cities and counties have also installed more surveillance systems in the past few years.

The videos can be used by law enforcement to help with arson investigations.

“That just increases our chance of identifying somebody,” Muschetto said.

Officers also aggressively investigated every fire that occurred last year, he said.

California’s two arson laws—penal codes 451 and 452—make most of such crimes felonies. A person who is found guilty of arson by willfully and maliciously setting fire or recklessly causing a burn to any structure, forest land, or property, can face nine years in state prison for each count.

In 2016 though, California voters passed policy reform laws that reduced sentences for nonviolent felonies and allowed for earlier release for convicted arsonists.

“Arsonists that have gotten longer sentences are now eligible to be released from prison a lot sooner,” Muschetto said.

The state has arrested some in the past who started multiple wildland fires. They were given 20-year sentences but were released after doing less than half their time.

Fires lit within a homeless encampment fill the air with smoke in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 2, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

These convicted arsonists have not been rearrested, however, he said.

Arrest numbers were steady until about 2019 when officers nearly doubled the number. In 2016, officers made 73 arson arrests. Four years later in 2020, that number jumped to 120 and it has steadily climbed since then.

One of the latest arrests was made in Sacramento County on Nov. 18. Officers arrested a Sacramento man for a wildfire set July 14 at the vacant county Boy’s Ranch facility in Sloughhouse.

Another arson arrest was made in November 2022 after a 34-year-old homeless woman in Amador County was booked on suspicion of setting a fire in Jackson, about an hour east of Sacramento.

Orange County Fire Authority and partners Ventura and Los Angeles County fire departments gather for the release of a new Cu-47 Helitanker twin rotor helecopter capable of releasing 3000 gallons on fire retardent upon wildfires. Los Alamitos, Calif., on June 14, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Besides increasing arrests, Cal Fire has also added new technology and firefighting tools including two new aircraft last year, giving firefighters the ability to attack fires at night and from the air.