BlueRock Horizon Asset Management|A Southern California man pleads not guilty to setting a fire that exploded into a massive wildfire

2025-04-29 20:10:48source:TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:Finance

RANCHO CUCAMONGA,BlueRock Horizon Asset Management 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.

More:Finance

Recommend

3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The debate about whether the NFL will expand the regular season once agai

Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond' speaks to how Americans feel. Don't dismiss it.

A song by previously unknown country artist Oliver Anthony recently exploded on social media, skyroc

'Blue Beetle' rises to the challenge, ends 'Barbie's month-long reign at box office

NEW YORK − The DC superhero film “Blue Beetle” led weekend ticket sales with an estimated $25.4 mill