A 34-year-old Norco man has been charged in connection with a wildfire that burned more than 37,000 acres and forced evacuations in San Bernardino County.
San Bernardino County prosecutors charged Justin Wayne Halstenberg with arson and other crimes related to the fire, including aggravated arson, arson causing great bodily injury, arson of residence, three counts of arson of forest land, and three counts of using an incendiary device. More charges are possible as the fire continues to burn, prosecutors said.
Halstenberg was arrested on suspicion of arson after investigators reviewed surveillance camera video and automatic licenses plate readers after the fire ignited around 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5 near Base Line Road and Aplin Street in Highland. About 73,000 buildings were threatened by flames, which led to evacuation orders and warnings.
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The 37,200-acre fire was 18-percent contained Thursday morning.
Investigators carried out a search at the suspect's home and found evidence supporting an arrest, according to authorities. They also located the pickup sought in connection with the arson investigation.
“It's my belief that as time goes on – and we allow them to do the critical work that they're doing – that we will actually find out this suspect may have been responsible for other fires,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said during a news conference Wednesday.
If convicted as charged, the suspect could be sentenced to 10 years up to life in prison.
The Line Fire is one of three major wildfires burning in Southern California.
So far in 2024, California's state firefighting agency has reported more than 6,000 wildfires that burned more than 977,000 acres. The acreage burned is a dramatic increase from 2023, when Cal Fire reported 5,053 wildfires that burned 253,755 acres. The five-year average is 5,912 wildfires and 868,803 acres burned.
