Vail Lake Fire Was Set by Arsonist, Officials Say

The Vail Lake blaze that charred more than 15,000 acres of the Cleveland National Forest earlier this month was set by an arsonist, a U. S. Forest Service official said Thursday.

Officials had blamed target shooters for the fire that raged through Riverside and East San Diego counties from July 29 to Aug. 11, briefly endangering the Palomar Mountain Observatory. But investigators have known for more than two weeks that the fire was the work of an arsonist, said Tommy LaNier, special agent in charge at the Cleveland National Forest.

Arson investigators reached that conclusion Aug. 2, when they found a small device used to set the fire near its point of origin, LaNier said. Until then, the blaze had prevented investigators from searching the site thoroughly, he said.

Agents withheld the new information from other Forest Service personnel because they feared disclosure would jeopardize their investigation, according to LaNier. After Aug. 2, Forest Service spokesmen continued to suggest target shooting as the likeliest cause of the blaze.

Questioning Target Shooters

“We wanted to talk to some people, and in order for us to work on that investigation, we did not want to reveal” the conclusion of arson, LaNier said. “We just said that the target shooters were responsible, and that may still be true.”

Although he declined to say the Forest Service has suspects, LaNier noted that his men are questioning target shooters who were at the site when the fire started.

LaNier also declined to describe the incendiary device, saying only that “it was a little bit more complex” than an arsonist’s weapon of choice--matches.

The Forest Service first disclosed its conclusions at a briefing for local residents Tuesday on the progress of the cleanup, according to LaNier. Since then, he said, he has received several tips from people who believe they saw a suspicious vehicle near the Dripping Springs Campground, where the fire started.

The arsonist who started the blaze would face federal arson charges, which carry a maximum five-year prison sentence. The arsonist would also be billed for the $8-million cost of fighting the fire, LaNier said. About 2,800 firefighters from California and elsewhere battled the blaze.

“We’ve had people go to jail for smaller fires than this,” LaNier said.