Norco man suspected of igniting the Line fire, which has raged through San Bernardino County
A Norco man has been arrested on suspicion of igniting the destructive Line fire, which has burned tens of thousands of acres in San Bernardino County.
Authorities on Tuesday arrested 34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg at Sixth Street and Sierra Avenue in Norco. He is suspected of starting a fire in the area of Base Line and Aplin streets in Highland on Sept. 5 and was charged with three counts of arson, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Halstenberg, a FedEx contract delivery driver who resides in Norco, is being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department Det. Jacob Hernandez said. In a written statement, FedEx said Halstenberg was no longer a contractor for the company, nor at the time when the Line fire broke out.
After a heat wave struck Southern California, fires erupt across the Southland, burning hundreds of thousands of acres while threatening homes.
The Line fire began the evening of Sept. 5, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and has since burned more than 36,000 acres, with 18% containment as of Wednesday night. Officials said 65,600 structures were threatened by the blaze.
In the fire’s first couple of days, three firefighters were injured, according to officials.
Two other major fires continue to burn across Southern California. The Airport fire has charred more than 20,000 acres in Riverside and Orange counties, and the Bridge fire, which broke out Sunday in Angeles National Forest, has chewed through more than 50,000 acres.
Anyone with information related to the arson investigation is encouraged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at (909) 425-9793.
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