RANCHO CUCAMONGA,Ethermac 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.
2025-04-29 11:352862 view
2025-04-29 10:591387 view
2025-04-29 10:522447 view
2025-04-29 10:43598 view
2025-04-29 10:41456 view
2025-04-29 10:162046 view
PACCAR is recalling over 220,000 of its 2021-2025 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. The commercial tru
Police believe they have identified the five juveniles responsible for breaking into a Maine school,
For two weeks in a row, the head coach of the opposing team has taken a personal verbal shot at Colo