CAL FIRE announced the arrest of Edward Wackerman of Mariposa County for allegedly starting last year’s Oak Fire that ravaged California’s Yosemite National Park area.
“This fire has become the most devastating fire in Mariposa’s history. And as a community, we stay engaged to support one another,” said Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese at a press conference held Tuesday morning in front of the Mariposa County Courthouse.
The fire started in late July 2022 and destroyed 127 homes and 66 outbuildings, burning through 19,244 acres.
“In the days leading up to the Oak Fire, a series of three separate fires were intentionally set in the Carsons Road area of Mariposa County,” said Walter W. Wall, Mariposa County’s District Attorney, at the press conference. “On July 22, 2022, a fourth fire was set in the same area in dry forest brush of Carsons Road. This fire became known as the Oak Fire.”…