MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Eleven months after the Valley fire tore through south Lake County, state officials released their conclusions as to the cause and discussed the next steps, including a review for possible criminal prosecution.
Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire's director, came to Middletown on Wednesday to deliver the news that faulty electrical wiring at a residence was determined to be the cause of the fire.
The Cal Fire investigative report was released to the public Wednesday afternoon, about an hour and 15 minutes after local officials were briefed and given their copies of the report, according to Sheriff Brian Martin.
Right up to the document's release, local officials had indicated to Lake County News that they had no idea what Cal Fire's findings would be.
A copy of the final report can be found at http://calfire.ca.gov/fire_protection/fire_protection_firereports .
The third most damaging fire in California history burned from Sept. 12 to Oct. 6, 2015, wreaking most of the damage in just the first few days.
Altogether, 76,067 acres burned and 1,955 structures were destroyed, among them 1,349 homes.
Then there was the loss of human life. Bruce Burns, Robert Fletcher, Barbara McWilliams and Leonard Neft perished in the fire. A fifth person reported missing at that time, Robert Litchman, has never been found, Martin said.
Four Copter 104 firefighter crew members from the Boggs Mountain Helitack were injured, with Cal Fire officials reporting that one of the injured men was unable to return to his job due to his injuries.
Pimlott was accompanied at Wednesday's announcement by Sheriff Martin, District Attorney Don Anderson, District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson and a host of other local officials.
Pimlott said Cal Fire's responsibility on incidents like the Valley fire “doesn't stop when the fire goes out.”
Noting that the Valley fire had begun just north of where they were standing, Pimlott said fire investigators began their work on the incident within hours, and were among the first to arrive on the scene. That investigative process concluded on Wednesday, he said.
“The investigation uncovered evidence that a residential electrical connection arced and ignited surrounding dry grass behind a home located on High Valley Road.”
Martin acknowledged that it has been a long, emotional year in the wake of the fire. “This has been a tragedy that has everyone that lives in Lake County, both directly and indirectly.”
He said the investigation had taken a long time, for a very good reason. “They wanted to make sure that they got it right.”
Martin referred to continual speculation about possible fire causes among community members, as well as information people submitted to law enforcement.
“It's fair to say there were hundreds of leads that investigators had to follow up on,” Martin said.
During the course of their work, Cal Fire investigators followed up with numerous community members who had made reports on the fire, chased down allegations that they couldn't confirm about one man setting a backfire, responded to a tweet from a teen with mental development issues who suggested that a book of matches lying in dry grass was responsible, as well as some leads they determined likely were altogether false.
Not long after the fire, investigators began interviewing John Pinch, who along with wife Cindy and friends Parker and Laura Mills have owned 8015 High Valley Road since 2009.
It was at that property that firefighters found the fire burning shortly after dispatch on Sept. 12. The home is the Pinches' main residence and a second home for the Mills. A shed and pickup were burned on the property but the home survived.
During the investigation, Pinch admitted to investigators that he installed an unpermitted wiring circuit – which was not installed to national standards – for a hot tub that Cal Fire said malfunctioned and ignited the fire. Parker Mills gave investigators similar details about the electrical circuit that Pinch had installed.
Investigators also looked at an area at Highway 175 and Gifford Springs Road where a second fire was reported after the Valley fire was under way. They searched the fire area but could find no signs of an ignition source.
Ultimately, Cal Fire Northern Region Law Enforcement Deputy Chief James Engel concluded that the fire on Gifford Springs Road was a spot fire from the main Valley fire, noting that he found no signs of arson or a power line that caused it.
He also attributed the main fire's source to Pinch's wiring, with the loose electrical connections arcing and igniting the dry grass on the property.
An ongoing process
The release of the report nearly a year after the fire broke out leaves local officials with a challenging case and, potentially, a short amount of time to make key decisions.
Martin said the final Cal Fire investigative report is being forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review. “There's a process that needs to take place,” and additional time will be required, Martin said.
He urged the community to be patient, to provide information to authorities when they have it and to ask questions. In turn, he said authorities will work to answer questions and keep the community informed to the best of their ability.
Anderson, who by that point had only been able to briefly look at the report, said he couldn't go into the details of the case.
However, he said that first thing on Thursday he was turning the case over to his investigative staff for further inquiry, while his legal staff will determine if any crime has been committed and if the facts justify anyone being charged.
The report concluded that there was a misdemeanor violation of the Health and Safety Code referring to failing to take precautions to prevent fire when using objects that can start fires, and a violation of California Residential Code requiring proper permitting.
Anderson was asked for his opinion about what crimes the report conclusions fall under. He said that it was hard to know without having further reviewed the report. However, he explained that criminal law goes beyond mere negligence.
He also wasn't sure how much time he might have to act.
Misdemeanor cases have a statute of limitations of a year, leaving Anderson just 32 days to review the investigative report and make a determination on whether or not he can pursue a criminal filing.
If his office were to attempt to file felony charges, he said he would have another two years and 32 days due to the three-year statute of limitations.
Pimlott said all wildland fires are investigated for cause and origin, with negligence always considered.
He said Cal Fire will have discussions with the California Attorney General's Office on possible charging in concert with the work that Anderson's office does locally.
He added, “Every fire we investigate, we learn something from,” and that what has been gleaned from the Valley fire will be useful in approaching future incidents.
The release of the report was a milestone moment, but one that didn't appear to offer much satisfaction to the people whose lives were intimately and radically affected by the devastating incident.
Responses from Valley fire survivors have run the gamut of rage and disbelief, sorrow, resignation, to the determination to keep moving forward and looking for ways to keep the community safe.
Officials on Wednesday acknowledged the ongoing challenges the community is experiencing.
“Suppressing the fire was just the beginning. This community has really banded together to move forward,” said Pimlott.
He acknowledged, “The recovery process is slow, it's painful and it's difficult,” adding, “We're not done until the community's done.”
Supervisor Rob Brown said that while the release of the fire's cause is good news, it's also extremely important to focus on the community's strength and resilience.
As such, he urged the community to not be distracted by the fire cause and to continue to look toward recovery.
“Just stay focused on the positive, stay focused on moving forward, and allow the process to run its course, both criminally and civilly,” Brown said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.