8 People, 2 Companies Charged In California Wildfires Probe

Tuesday, August 7th 2007, 7:44 pm

By: News On 6

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) _ Prosecutors have charged eight people and two businesses in connection with wildfires dating to 2002 that killed four people, destroyed hundreds of homes and charred thousands of acres in at least three national forests in California.

None of the charges alleges arson, said Kathy Good, spokeswoman for Los Padres National Forest. Seven people and the businesses were charged with misdemeanors, and the eighth person was charged with a felony, authorities said.

``It's a reminder, given that we're in this terrible fire season, that people need to be extremely careful, abide by the rules or run the risk of something like this happening to them,'' Good said.

Eight of the fires burned a total of 227,000 acres and destroyed several homes and structures. The ninth fire merged with an arson fire, and together blackened 90,000 acres, destroyed more than 850 homes and killed four people four years ago.

The arrest Monday of a homeless man wanted on suspicion of starting two of the fires capped the investigation and led officials to make the charges public, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Steven Emory Butcher, 48, was arrested Monday after being indicted last week on charges including two felony counts of starting fires that emitted embers that caused fires in 2002 and 2006.

The 2006 blaze was the fifth-largest fire in California history. It burned for a month, destroyed at least one home and cost $78 million to suppress.

Butcher was being held without bond and could face up to 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges, Mrozek said. Public defender Jill Gintsling did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Butcher was scheduled for a bail hearing Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The remaining seven defendants face a maximum of six months in prison if convicted of misdemeanor charges of causing fires, he said. None has been arrested, and authorities were still looking for one defendant, Mrozek said.

Two companies, Mendez Concrete Inc. of Santa Paula and The Best Demolition and Recycling Co. in Pacoima, were also charged with activities that allegedly started blazes.

A message left with Mendez Concrete was not immediately returned. A phone number for Best Demolition could not be located.

If convicted, the defendants could be ordered to repay millions of dollars in restitution for wildfire suppression costs, environmental damage and property loss, said federal prosecutor Joseph O. Johns.