A man in Northern California stands accused of starting a 36-acre wildfire earlier this week by driving his truck with no front tire for more than four miles, causing sparks to catch in three separate places in Sonoma County.
The Flora fire started Wednesday, which is the same day Sonoma police booked Justin Roy Jones on suspicion of…a whole lot of things. From Patch:
Jones was arrested and booked into Sonoma County jail around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of two felonies: unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire to a structure, forest land, or property and violating the terms of his probation.
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Jones remained in custody Thursday night, with his bail set at $45,000. Jail records showed that in addition to the arrest charges, he faces charges of receiving stolen property, identity theft and possession of metal knuckles. He was scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.
Cal Fire says Jones allowed the metal of his right front wheel to grind along the asphalt for more than 4 miles, setting three blazes in his wake that turned into one giant fire, the Press Democrat reports.
Stoked by high winds, the Flora fire burned 36 acres along Chalk Hill Road before firefighters from seven different agencies reached 75 percent containment of the blaze on Thursday. Thirty six acres worth of destruction in just 48 hours.
Wildfires pose a huge risk to California, especially in late summer when temperatures and wind gusts are high. Drivers shouldn’t be flicking a cigarette butt into the undergrowth, let alone showering it with sparks from their janky vehicles. This should go without saying, but here it goes: don’t drive without a tire for crying out loud. I don’t care how close you are to the exit, as soon as it is safe, pull over. It’s terrible for the car and potentially hazardous to everyone around you.