A California sex offender has been arrested for allegedly starting a 160,000-acre wildfire — the state’s largest this year.
Ronnie Stout II, 42, was caught pushing his burning car into a ravine in Upper Bidwell Park near the town of Chico on Wednesday, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office said.
The vehicle then fell 60 feet down an embankment, triggering a fire tornado that engulfed more than 71,000 acres of Northern California overnight and prompted mass evacuations.
Stout was reportedly seen leaving the scene, blending in with park visitors as the fire spread rapidly.
Authorities finally identified the suspect early Thursday morning and took him into custody.
Ronnie Stout II, 42, was caught pushing his burning car into a ravine in Upper Bidwell Park near the town of Chico on Wednesday.
He was then booked into the Butte County Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to the district attorney’s office.
Stout was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sex crimes against a child under 14 in 2001 and robbery with serious bodily injury.
Because he has two prior convictions, Stout could face life in prison if convicted under California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” law.
Footage of the fire shows a house exploding as the area is surrounded by flames.
The vehicle then fell 60 feet down an embankment, triggering a fire tornado that engulfed more than 71,000 acres of Northern California overnight and prompted mass evacuations.
The park fire burned more than 195 square miles near the city of Chico
The Park Fire burned more than 195 square miles near the city of Chico.
More than 4,000 people have been evacuated in Butte County and the city of Chico, said Megan McMann, a spokeswoman for the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
As of Friday morning, the fire had burned more than 164,000 acres.
At least 134 structures were destroyed, but no injuries were reported.
Cal Fire-Butte County said up to 4,200 structures were threatened.
Footage of the fire shows a house exploding as the area is surrounded by flames
“Fire whirls” are columns of intensely rotating gas and flames.
The combination of a cold front moving through the province and several days of dry, warm weather created the perfect conditions for the fire tornado.
Friday’s windy conditions made it more difficult for firefighters to fight the flames.
The combination of a cold front moving through the province and several days of dry, warm weather created the perfect conditions for the fire tornado.
The park fire is the largest in California since the Caldor fire in 2021.
The National Weather Service has issued a forecast advisory for the northern Sacramento Valley.
Meanwhile, forecasters warn that wind gusts could reach up to 30 mph and push the fire north.
The park fire is the largest in California since the 2021 Caldor Fire, which destroyed 1,000 structures while burning across the Sierra Crest and into the Tahoe Basin, scorching a forest that hadn’t seen flames in more than a century.
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