A 71-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of starting an explosive forest fire last year that destroyed more than 100 homes near Yosemite National Park, California.
Edward Fredrick Wackerman of Mariposa, Calif., was taken into custody Friday on suspicion of aggravated arson, arson that causes great bodily injury and arson causing damage or destruction of inhabited structures, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, said.
“Ed Wackerman is facing several felony charges, including aggravated arson. These charges carry serious legal consequences and the District Attorney is committed to ensuring a fair trial and upholding justice,” Mariposa County District Attorney Walter Wall said during a Tuesday press conference and further outlined in a statement posted online.
“This fire became known as the Oak Fire, one of the worst fires in Mariposa County history, consumed 127 residential structures, 19,000 acres resulting in over $8.3 million of property loss and over $100 million in Cal fire response costs,” said Wall.
File/A hotshot crew marches along a burning forest at the Oak Fire near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, California, on July 23, 2022. The California wildfire ripped through thousands of acres July 23 after being sparked a day earlier. (DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)
No details of what led to the arrest of the former firefighter were made public.
The suspected arsonist has reportedly donated $1,775 to Democratic candidates and committees since 2020, government records show.
The Washington Free Beacon details the funds include a $1,000 donation to Tim Ryan’s failed U.S. Senate campaign in 2022 and $400 to the Lincoln Project, a disgraced liberal super PAC.
As Breitbart News reported, the devastating fire injured three firefighters, burned 19,244 acres (30 square miles) of land and destroyed 127 homes and 66 outbuildings.
File/Destroyed property is left in its wake as the Oak Fire chews through the forest near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, California, on July 23, 2022. (DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)
At its height, some 6,000 people were told to flee their homes after the blaze erupted near the community of Midpines.
The conflagration drew commentary at the time from Democrats linking the outbreak to climate factors, a trend started some years before led by former California Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown.
He warned wildfires in California are a taste of what is to come if our leaders do not act on climate change, a message since repeated many times over.
“Thank you to all the firefighters and first responders working tirelessly under difficult conditions to combat the #OakFire,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) wrote on Twitter on July 25, 2022.
“Worsening drought and severe weather will only continue to put lives and property at risk from wildfire if we don’t take climate action NOW.”
“More people will be killed and the survival of our civilization is at stake,” former Democrat Vice President Al Gore said on July 24, 2022, citing climate change as the reason “droughts and fires are hitting us so hard.”
Wackerman is being held on a no bond order. He’s scheduled to be back in court for an arraignment on September 14th.