Home › News › Other News
Man convicted for 162,000-acre fire
STORY TOOLS 
More from Other NewsA federal jury Friday convicted a transient of starting the 2006 Day Fire that burned more than 162,000 acres mostly in the Los Padres National Forest and resulted in more than $78 million in firefighting costs, authorities said.
Steven Emory Butcher, 49, was convicted of starting the month-long brushfire by burning debris at his remote campsite in Piru Canyon. The same jury also found him guilty of causing the 2002 Ellis Fire that burned about 70 acres in the same area.
Butcher was found guilty of two felony counts of starting fires and of one count each of allowing a fire to escape his control, violating restrictions by building a fire on federal forest land and smoking in a federal forest, all misdemeanors.
Butcher was found guilty of two felonies--two counts of willfully setting on fire debris in the national forest. He was also found guilty of three misdemeanors allowing a fire to escape from his control, violating national forest restrictions by building a fire, and smoking in the national forest.
U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank has not yet scheduled a sentencing date.
The Day Fire injured 18 people and destroyed 11 structures.
Posted by Metalhaid on February 15, 2008 at 11:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They should give the 18 injured people magnifying glasses, pick a sunny day and let them take turns "lighting up" this douchebag's life. I hope the judge throws the whole stinkin library at him. Damn firebug.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.