22,000-Acre Blaze Near Ojai Blamed on Gunfire

A June wildfire that torched more than 22,000 acres above Ojai and imperiled endangered plants and animals in the Sespe Wilderness was sparked by people firing guns in dry brush just off California 33, authorities said.

Although the cause of the blaze has been identified, officials with the U.S. Forest Service have not identified any suspects and no arrests have been made.

Investigators are also still trying to track down witnesses who were in the dry, grassy area when the fire started just before 3 p.m. on June 1.

The fire began about 100 feet from the Wolf Grill restaurant, located on a winding stretch of California 33 about 12 miles from Ojai.

“We still don’t know the exact mechanism that started the fire and we want to determine the events leading up to the fire,” said Kathy Good, spokeswoman for the forest service.

“Then we will look at who might be responsible.”

Those who started the blaze could potentially be asked to pay the $15 million it cost to fight the fire, Good said.

The investigation has been slowed in recent weeks because forest officials have been pressed into service on several other wildfires across the state, including the McNally fire in the Sequoia National Forest, Good said. That fire has burned nearly 95,000 acres and cost $15.8 million to fight.

Although she was not accused of starting the Sequoia blaze intentionally, a 45-year-old woman has been charged in federal court with “willfully and without authority” igniting it with an illegal campfire. If convicted, she could face prison time and a hefty fine, officials said.

Good said the Wolf fire was not sparked intentionally, but that doesn’t mean criminal charges won’t eventually be filed.

Fanned by hot, dry weather and churning winds, the wildfire jumped California 33 in several locations and burned east across Los Padres National Forest for more than two weeks before crews from across the state and the nation put it out.

Several members of a bicycling tour group reported that they saw people shooting at an abandoned van in the area shortly before the fire started. Days after the wildfire, the bullet-riddled van--blackened by the flames--remained in the field surrounded by yellow police tape.