A California man is potentially facing life in prison after being found guilty of starting the Line Fire, a wildfire that burned 44,000 acres and forced thousands of people to evacuate from Southern California mountain towns and suburbs in September 2024.
Justin Halstenberg of Norco was found guilty of seven counts related to the Line Fire, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday. He was also found guilty of two counts related to an ensuing fire. The charges included “aggravated arson of forest land, property, and possession of flammable materials,” the announcement said. Halstenberg faces up to life in prison.
The charges were first announced in the days following the fire, when the DA’s office wrote in a news release that it believed that Halstenberg had “attempted multiple times within an hour to ignite a fire” in the hills next to a suburban neighborhood in Highland. His first attempt was extinguished by firefighters, according to the news release, and his second was stomped out by a civilian. His third arson attempt, which took place on Baseline Street in Highland, resulted in the Line Fire, the release said.
The fire exploded in size soon after it was started, forcing evacuation orders in the towns of Running Springs, Forest Falls, Arrowbear Lake, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and Seven Oaks, along with parts of Highland and San Bernardino. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County because of the fire. High temperatures and dry vegetation enabled the blaze to spread quickly.
“This outcome is a huge victory for the City of Highland, our Mountain residents, and all of the firefighters who fought a massive battle protecting lives, homes, and property,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department wrote on social media.
