Photo: Anadolu
Authorities in California have arrested a man accused of starting the Park Fire, which ballooned into the largest wildfire of the season. The Park Fire has torched over 160,000 acres across northern California, destroying numerous structures and forcing thousands to evacuate.
As of Friday (July 26) morning, the fire was 0% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Officials said that the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II, was seen pushing a car that was on fire down a gully in Bidwell Park near Chico on Wednesday afternoon.
"The car went down an embankment approximately 60 feet and burned completely, spreading flames that caused the Park Fire," Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said in a statement.
Stout could face life in prison because he already has two previous felony convictions, including lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age in 2001 and robbery with great bodily injury in 2002.
California's "Three Strikes and You're Out" law mandates a sentence of 25 years to life for most crimes if the defendant has two previous convictions of violent crimes.