Two sentenced to prison for starting Colby fire near Glendora

Two men were sentenced Monday to federal prison for starting an illegal campfire near Glendora that grew into the Colby fire, which burned hundreds of acres and caused extensive damage, authorities said.

Clifford Eugene Henry Jr., 22, of Glendora, was sentenced to six months in prison. Steven Robert Aguirre, 21, of Baldwin Park, received five months. Both men also were sentenced to a three-year term of supervised release, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The two men were found guilty in May of four fire-related charges, one of which was dismissed at Monday’s hearing. Their illegal campfire quickly got out of control the morning of Jan. 16 and grew into the 1,700-acre Colby fire. It burned federal, state, local and private lands near Glendora and neighboring Azusa.

A third defendant, 24-year-old Jonathan Carl Jarrell, also was found guilty of fire-related charges, a felony and a misdemeanor. He will be sentenced later this month. Both Jarrell and Aguirre have been described as transients.

The fire destroyed six homes, damaged eight other homes and 17 structures and resulted in injuries to one civilian and two firefighters. Prosecutors said firefighting costs and damage totaled more than $6 million, according to the Justice Department.

Henry and Aguirre were arrested by police as they ran from the area.

The men disagreed on how the blaze started, but ultimately said the campfire was a bad idea, according to a federal affidavit detailing their arrests and subsequent interviews with investigators.

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