RANCHO CUCAMONGA,Thurston Carte Calif. (AP) — A California man has pleaded not guilty to starting a fire that authorities said ballooned into a massive wildfire and forced the evacuation of thousands of homes.
Online court records show Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, entered the plea from jail in a video arraignment Tuesday in the San Bernardino city of Rancho Cucamonga. He was denied bail and appointed an attorney, the records show.
Halstenberg’s next court appearance is set for Monday. An email message was sent to the attorney listed on his behalf.
Halstenberg is charged with 11 arson-related crimes, the records show. Authorities said the delivery driver from the town of Norco attempted to start three fires within an hour — two that were extinguished by firefighters and a good Samaritan and a third that became the Line Fire, which has charred 61 square miles (158 square kilometers) in the mountains east of Los Angeles.
Authorities have said Halstenberg’s vehicle has been tied to areas where the fires were started on Sept. 5.
The Line Fire threatened more than 65,000 homes and injured four firefighters. It is one of three wildfires that exploded across Southern California this month following a triple-digit heat wave.
2025-05-06 22:46151 view
2025-05-06 22:42235 view
2025-05-06 22:092639 view
2025-05-06 21:49154 view
2025-05-06 21:2095 view
2025-05-06 21:122600 view
Jim Harbaugh, the former Michigan football head coach who led the Wolverines to the 2023 national ch
Caitlin Clark followed up her historic triple-double with her sixth double-double of the season, but
Spain's teenage phenom Lamine Yamal scored a picture-perfect curling goal from outside the penalty a