A man suspected of arson in California’s devastating Line Fire has been arrested by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. Police made the announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 10, revealing that Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco, CA, had been located and placed under arrest. He is being held in lieu of $80,000 bail.
Halstenberg is accused of starting the fire in the city of Highland on Sept. 5. The wildfire spread to over 34,000 acres, burning large areas of the San Bernardino National Forest on the outskirts of the San Bernardino–Riverside metro area often called the Inland Empire. As of publication it was just 14 percent contained , and is expected to continue growing Wednesday due to “elevated winds and continued dry conditions.”
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According to The New York Post , Halstenberg has been charged with “Arson of an inhabited structure, Arson of forest land, and Possession of flammable material DVC Arson.”