SALINAS, Calif. — A former criminal justice professor has pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fires behind firefighters who were battling the Dixie Fire, which broke out in 2021 and became the second-largest fire in California history.
Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, California, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to three counts of arson on federal government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento . Maynard admitted to setting blazes behind firefighters who were battling the Dixie Fire, “effectively surrounding these firefighters,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Dixie Fire went on to burn through five North State counties, including Shasta, as it consumed 963,309 acres, destroyed 1,311 structures, and killed one person, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Dixie Fire itself was caused when Pacific Gas and Electric Company power lines came in contact with a nearby pine tree, igniting the blaze, according to Cal Fire.