A father and son from California have been arrested for suspicion of starting the Caldor Fire, a wildfire that burned from mid-August to mid-October and scorched more than 221,000 acres in California, threatening Lake Tahoe, USA Today reports.
David Scott Smith, 66 of Somerset, California, and his son, Travis Shane Smith, 32, of Folsom were arrested on what’s called a Ramey warrant–a rare move that allows a judge to issue an arrest warrant before a prosecutor files charges–after U.S. Forest Service and the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office presented evidence about their guilt.
The lawyer for the Smiths claims that Travis Smith called 911 after spotting flames near the town of Pollock Pines. The Smiths acknowledge being near the scene when the fire started, but they deny doing anything to start it to fan the flames.