California man faces life in prison for starting destructive 2024 fire
Justin Halstenberg, 35, was found guilty of seven charges related to starting the Line Fire and two charges related to another blaze, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office announced Friday.
The Line Fire burned more than 43,000 acres in San Bernardino County in September, affecting more than 100,000 residents and leading to evacuations of 'tens of thousands of homes,' the sheriff's office said.
The fire started on Sept. 5 in Highland before growing through forested areas. By Sept 7, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino due to the fire and secured federal funding to help in firefighting efforts.
A week after the fire started, the sheriff's office announced that Halstenberg had been arrested and was being charged with arson and related crimes.
The district attorney's office said on Sept. 12 that Halstenberg repeatedly tried to start a fire on Sept. 5, based on 'evidence received from extensive and ongoing investigations.'
The first started a blaze on Bacon Lane in Highland that was reported and put out by firefighters. Halstenberg's second attempt, minutes later farther east, was also extinguished, by a 'good Samaritan,' the district attorney's office said.
At the time the charges were filed — a week after the blaze was started — the Line Fire had burned at least one home and injured one firefighter, the district attorney's office said.
Halstenberg pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included aggravated arson of forest land, property and possession of flammable materials, the sheriff's office said.
'This conviction sends a clear message: those who threaten our communities in San Bernardino County will be held accountable,' Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement after the guilty verdict.
Halstenberg is being held in the San Bernardino County Jail in Rancho Cucamonga and is scheduled to next appear in court on June 11.
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