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LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A 70-year-old Santa Clarita man was charged Friday with setting the Bouquet Fire, a wildfire that burned more than 1,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest, federal prosecutors announced.
Rodney Ameile Saba was charged in a federal criminal complaint with arson involving federal property in connection with the blaze, which erupted Oct. 3 near his home on Bouquet Canyon Road, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Saba was arrested by local authorities on related state charges the day of the fire. He is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the federal complaint, Saba allegedly started the fire about 2:13 p.m. Oct. 3 behind his residence on Bouquet Canyon Road.
Moments before the fire broke out, Saba allegedly warned a neighbor to expect a loud noise similar to a shotgun blast. Witnesses then heard a powerful explosion, followed by Saba yelling for help as flames rapidly spread up the hillside, prosecutors said.
Investigators alleged that Saba admitted throwing a cigarette from his porch onto fireworks, causing them to explode and ignite the blaze.
Authorities later recovered a lighter, cigarettes, shotgun ammunition and an aerial mortar firework from Saba’s cabin, according to the complaint.
U.S. Forest Service fire investigators determined that the Bouquet Fire, which burned approximately 1,048 acres of federal land, was “probably caused by fireworks,” after ruling out lightning, campfires, debris burning and other potential ignition sources, prosecutors said.
The complaint also alleges that Saba has multiple prior felony convictions, including mayhem, vandalism, possession of a controlled substance, criminal threats, manufacturing or possessing a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle.
If convicted of the federal arson charge, Saba faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The U.S. Forest Service investigated the fire with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson Explosives Detail.
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