Lucerne man arrested for causing Wednesday wildfire
LUCERNE, Calif. — A Lucerne man who was squatting on private property in the paper subdivision area above Lucerne has been arrested for causing a wildland fire on Wednesday afternoon.
Cal Fire said its law enforcement officers arrested Robert John Moore for starting the Robinson fire due to a barbecue.
The fire was first reported at around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday near Robinson Road and Foothill Drive, as Lake County News has reported.
Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and Northshore Fire Protection District responded to the incident and were in unified command, according to radio reports.
When firefighters first arrived on scene, the fire was estimated to be approximately one-quarter of an acre and moving uphill, Cal Fire said. Not long afterward, it was reported to be an acre.
Northshore Fire Chief Mike Ciancio said the fire’s movement was very odd. It was a “backing fire,” which he said means that it was backing up the hill and not really progressing forward. He said it also was moving into the wind.
Cal Fire credited quick actions by firefighters — which included personnel and crews along with air resources such as air attack and Copter 104 — with containing the Robinson fire at 2.5 acres with no evacuations needing to be issued.
Ciancio said firefighters got lucky on Wednesday. “Another month and we’d still be fighting that fire,” he said.
Had it been drier and windier and throwing sparks in the wind, “We wouldn’t have been able to catch it” at a small size, Ciancio said.
As it was, on Wednesday winds in the area were close to 6 miles per hour, according to Lake County’s News’ weather tracking equipment.
Cal Fire said its law enforcement officers immediately began an investigation of the origin and cause of the fire, identifying Moore as having been responsible.
The agency said Moore started a fire in a small barbecue surrounded by dry vegetation, which ultimately caused the fire.
“The guy was using a barbecue in 18-inch tall grass. It wasn’t even cleared out,” Ciancio said.
During the incident, it was reported that a man was trapped in the fire area and unable to escape. Shortly afterward, incident command reported that he had reached the individual. Moore appears to have been that same person.
Cal Fire said its law enforcement officers determined Moore had a warrant for his arrest within Lake County. They placed Moore under arrest for the warrant as well as cited him for violation of California Health and Safety Code §13001, causing a fire through careless or negligent action.
Moore was transported by Cal Fire’s officers to the Lake County Jail to be processed, Cal Fire said.
Moore was not in custody in the Lake County Jail on Thursday, according to jail records.
Ciancio said Moore was squatting on the property where the fire began.
There appear to be more squatters in that paper subdivision and Ciancio said he’s reported the fire and the issue with squatters to Community Development Department’s Code Enforcement Division Manager Marcus Beltramo.
Ciancio said he had a good response from Beltramo, who has indicated he will visit the area to investigate the situation.
Over the past few years the hills above Lucerne have seen an influx of illegal dumping, including the abandonment of numerous vehicles, many of them dilapidated motor homes, and squatting.
Just hours before the fire, Beltramo had participated in the regular meeting of the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Service Authority, which was held at Clearlake City Hall.
Beltramo, who has taken a proactive approach to dealing with the county’s illegal dumping issues, said during the meeting that his staff is seeing more abandoned RVs popping up throughout the county on a weekly basis and it’s starting to create an issue.
In a Thursday statement, Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Mike Marcucci said it’s important to exercise fire safety due to the severe drought conditions.
In the case of outdoor cooking, Cal Fire said it’s necessary to have a nonflammable 10-foot clearance around the cooking area and make sure there are no flying embers or sparks being produced. A water source and some tools nearby in case a fire starts also are recommended.
“Always remember that safe cooking practices not only help protect you from getting hurt and your property from being damaged, but it also helps protect your community and the people around you,” the statement said.
Cal Fire said it will take aggressive and prompt enforcement actions to prevent fires and hold those responsible for causing them accountable.
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