Holy Fire: Man suspected of arson for California fire that put 20,000 people under evacuation

Kimberley Richards
Updated

A man has been arrested in connection with the Holy Fire in California that has caused more than 20,000 people to be evacuated from their homes.

Police in Orange County have arrested suspect Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, on suspicion of arson. Mr Clark was booked into Orange County jail for two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorise and one count of misdemeanour arrest, according to officials from the Cleveland National Forest. He has been held on $1m bail.

The Independent has reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to enquire whether Mr Clark had entered a plea after his arrest and has not immediately heard back.

According to the Cleveland National Forest's Twitter feed, the Holy Fire had burned through more than 9,600 acres as of the morning of 9 August, as firefighters continued to battle the flames.

“Firefighters continue to battle the blaze around the clock,” a tweet read. “We expect favourable weather conditions this weekend to help these efforts.”

A video that surfaced online shows Mr Clark being interviewed in front of his cabin discussing the fire prior to his arrest. When asked if he knew how the fire started he responded: “I have no idea, I had two earplugs in.”

“This is a monster,” said Todd Spitzer, Orange County supervisor. “Who would go out with low humidity and high wind and the highest heat temperatures this time of the year…”

According to the Orange County Register, of the several cabins in the area of Mr Clark’s residence, his cabin was the only one not devastated by the flames.

The suspect apparently has a strained relationship with some of his neighbours. Weeks before the fire, Mr Clark allegedly sent a message to Mike Milligan, a volunteer fire chief in the community, reading: “The place is going to burn just like you planned."

Meanwhile, officials in California have estimated that it may take until September to contain record-breaking Mendocino Complex Fire in northern California.