Former firefighter arrested in deadly Clover fire
A former firefighter has been arrested on suspicion of setting the destructive Clover fire earlier this year, which scorched more than 8,000 acres, destroyed 60 homes and killed one person.
Zane Wallace Peterson, a 29-year-old Happy Valley resident who now faces more than 200 arson-related charges, was booked Tuesday at Shasta County Jail, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire started Sept. 9 about 10 miles from Redding and grew quickly because of strong winds and dry conditions. The next day, authorities found the charred remains of 56-year-old Brian Stanley Henry during a welfare check on Coal Pit Road.
His body was found within a motor home, which was destroyed by the fire. A deputy coroner told The Times that other family members on the property evacuated, but that Henry “chose to stay.”
In addition to the 60 homes, 130 outbuildings were destroyed in the blaze, Cal Fire said, and five homes and 10 outbuildings were damaged. It also cost more than $7.3 million to fight.
Calling Peterson a “significant arson arrest,” Doug Wenham, chief of the Cal Fire Northern Region, said in a statement that arson is a “serious crime that threatens the public, our communities and the environment.”
“The tragic loss of life and so many homes at the hands of an intentional fire is a heinous act,” he said.
Shasta County prosecutors confirmed to local media that Peterson was a former firefighter, but the department was not immediately confirmed.
Peterson faces 140 counts of arson to a structure or vegetation and 60 counts of arson to an occupied structure alone. The list also includes one count of arson causing great bodily injury and two counts of arson with aggravating factors.
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jason.wells@latimes.com
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