In California, climate change makes arson a more potent threat

In California, nearly half the acres burned this year were due to blazes allegedly ignited by arson. The damage shows how climate change is exacerbating the danger of arson.

On a hot Wednesday in July, Ronnie Dean Stout II stood next to a smoking Toyota Yaris near a swimming hole in Chico, California, and watched as flames grew, authorities allege. He made no effort to put the fire out, then pushed the vehicle over a 60-foot embankment, according to a witness account outlined in court documents.

The car rolled into a ravine filled with dry vegetation, which the witness saw “explode” in flames, the court filings say. 

Temperatures that day were well above 100 degrees and it was windy — “red flag” conditions ripe for fire. The blaze moved at a breakneck pace. In just 48 hours, the Park Fire had destroyed more than 130 structures, burned 175,000 acres and forced thousands to evacuate, according to the court filing.

Stout has denied pushing the car, the county district attorney said, and he pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson. A public defender representing Stout did not respond to a request for comment.

The Park Fire was the fourth-largest in California’s history, burning 430,000 acres. It set a state record for acres burned in an alleged arson.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/california-arson-threat-climate-change-rcna171393

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