A 71-year-old man, an alleged arsonist, was arrested last Friday after being suspected of starting a forest fire that burned more than 100 homes last year at Yosemite National Park, California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the alleged arsonist last year was arrested
Edward Fredrick Wackerman of Mariposa, an alleged arsonist, was arrested last Friday for suspicion of aggravated arson, arson destroying inhabited structures, and arson in bodily injury.
The alleged arsonist is suspected of starting the Oak Fire in Mariposa County last July 2022. Police didn’t give details of what led to his arrest, and no charges have been filed yet.
Cal Fire said that the fire last year injured three firefighters, destroyed 127 homes and 66 outbuildings, and burned 19,244 acres of land.
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Investigation of whether the fire was caused by the possible failure of a water-spraying machine or done by an arsonist is ongoing
California gradually experienced larger and deadlier wildfires in previous years after climate change has made it much warmer over the past decades.
Scientists said the weather will continue to be hotter, and wildfires will be more destructive.