Holy Fire grows to 6,200 acres as arson suspect Forrest Clark, 51, arrested in Cleveland National ForestColin Atagi and Geraldine Estevez, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Authorities have arrested a man accused of sparking the Holy Fire, the wildfire that has scorched more than 6,200 acres in the Cleveland National Forest since Monday afternoon, and authorities said some areas in Riverside County now fall under mandatory evacuation orders.
Forrest Clark, 51, faces two counts of arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest, according to Cleveland National Forest officials.
He was arrested Tuesday and is in custody with bail set at $1 million, according to Orange County jail records.
Officials with the Cleveland National Forest said on Wednesday the fire is moving east-northeast into Riverside County. As a result, several areas fall under mandatory evacuation orders in Riverside, including Horsethief Canyon, McVicker Canyon, Rice Canyon, Painted Canyon, Glen Eden, El Cariso Village, Sycamore Creek and Rancho Capistrano.
Forrest Gordon Clark is suspected of starting the Holy Fire. He's charged with two counts of arson and one count each of resisting arrest and making threats. (Photo: Cleveland National Forest)
In addition, Highway 74 is being closed in the area. Residents in El Cariso are advised to exit west on Highway 74, towards Orange County.
Evacuation centers have been set up at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore and San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano. Small Animals may be evacuated to Animal Friends of the Valley in Wildomar, both small animals and large animals from mandatory evacuations zones can also be evacuated to Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano.
At a news conference on Wednesday, authorities held Clark fully responsible for the fire.
"We know this area burns, but it should never burn because of a person intentionally setting fire," said Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, also a member of the county Fire Authority, who called Clark "a monster."
"He's literally destroyed our forest," he said. "This shouldn't be called the Holy Jim Fire; it should be called the Holy Hell Fire. This is a terrible, terrible, terrible fire."
The fire was sparked near the suspect's cabin, which is in a rural area with about 15 homes. Each has a 99-year lease and occupants aren't allowed to live there full time, said OCFA Battalion Chief Shane Sherwood.
Holy Jim Canyon residents Beep and John Colclough watch firefighting efforts of the Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., with volunteer firefighter Luke Senger on Monday, Aug 6, 2018. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP)
Holy Jim Canyon residents Beep and John Colclough watch firefighting efforts of the Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., with volunteer firefighter Luke Senger on Monday, Aug 6, 2018. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP) (Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP)
As of Wednesday, 12 structures have been destroyed but officials wouldn't confirm news reports that Clark's cabin wasn't damaged.
In custody, Sherwood said, Clark had not admitted anything.
Sherwood wouldn't give specifics on what led to Clark's arrest, but he said, "Our strongest evidence is through our witness statements."
"We believe the fire was an intentional act," Sherwood said.
Hell's Kitchen Motorsports Bar & Grill on Highway 74. Firefighters are using this restaurant parking lot as a home base. (Photo: Colin Atagi/The Desert Sun)
He later added that the charge of felony threat to terrorize stems from statements made to neighbors.
Clark faces up to life in prison if convicted on all counts, said Orange County District Attorney Chief of Staff Susan Schroeder.
"Arson is a terrible crime that destroys dreams," she said.
Thanh Nguyen, a spokesman for the Garden Grove Fire Department, described the containment plan for the Holy Fire.
"We've got firefighters that are trying to make access wherever they can," he said. "And what they're doing is that they're trying to cut lines in there to build barriers to keep the fire from continuing to spread."
Holy Jim volunteer firefighter Luke Senger stands next to a home destroyed the Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Monday, Aug 6, 2018. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP) (Photo: Mindy Schauer, AP)
The challenge is that weather conditions, like wind and humidity, can negatively impact the containment plan, causing the fire to jump the barriers, he said.
Up to 1,000 firefighters were requested, he said, but with fires burning across the state and western United States, it's impossible to have such a large team focus solely on this blaze. "This fire is going to be here for a little while before we get it 100 percent contained."
Incident management team Chief Chris Vogel said the fire's point of origin was the Holy Jim Canyon, and the fire is burning actively as it moves down the mountains toward the Lake Elsinore area, threatening residential areas along the way.
The Holy Fire, which was 5 percent contained by Wednesday night, is the third blaze suspected of being intentionally set in the past few weeks. And in each case, a suspect is in custody.
Battalion Chief for Orange County Fire Authority and Chief Fire Investigator Shane Sherwood speaks on the arrest of an arson suspect in the Holy Fire at a press conference in Irvine, California on August 8, 2018.
Battalion Chief for Orange County Fire Authority and Chief Fire Investigator Shane Sherwood speaks on the arrest of an arson suspect in the Holy Fire at a press conference in Irvine, California on August 8, 2018. (Photo: Omar Ornelas,The Desert Sun-USA TODAY NETWORK, )
The Cranston Fire, which erupted on July 25 and so far consumed more than 13,000 acres, is suspected to be one of nine fires set by a Temecula man. On Aug. 3, a Desert Hot Springs man was arrested after authorities said he admitted starting a small fire in Desert Hot Springs that was put out soon after.
Brandon N. McGlover, 32, of Temecula was arrested last month on suspicion of setting the Cranston Fire near Idyllwild. He remained held on 15 charges at the Robert Presley Dentention Center in Riverside with bail set at $3.5 million.
John Tatum, 54, was arrested in connection to the Desert Hot Springs fire. He was caught holding a lighter and “immediately admitted to starting the fire,” authorities said. The fire was contained to a small area of vegetation and quickly extinguished by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.
A plane drops fire retardant behind homes along McVicker Canyon Park Road in Lake Elsinore, Calif., as the Holy Fire burned near homes on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register via AP) (Photo: Mark Rightmire, AP)
Tatum was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional facility in Banning on suspicion of arson and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $35,000.
With state agencies reporting an 11 percent increase in the rate of arson and skyrocketing costs of arson damage in recent years, malicious firesetting is another looming threat in a state burdened by fire’s cost to property and safety.
There were 8,650 arson incidents in California in 2017, up from a state historic low of 7,164 in 2011, according to the California Department of Justice. While arson rates have been plummeting in the state since the department started reporting them in 1985, last year’s increase was the largest increase in arson incidents in decades.
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