Chico man arrested on suspicion of arson in Park Fire, California's largest blaze this year
CHICO – A Chico man was arrested on suspicion of starting the fast-growing Park Fire, which is now California's largest wildfire this year after burning at least 124,000 acres, prosecutors said.
Just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, prosecutors said an unknown man was seen pushing a car on fire into a gully near Alligator Hole in upper Bidwell Park. The car then went down an approximate 60-foot embankment and burned, starting the Park Fire, prosecutors said.
The man was then seen calmly leaving the area and blending in with other people leaving the area, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said.
Cal Fire arson investigators and the district attorney's office were able to identify the suspect, obtain an arrest warrant and arrest the suspect early Thursday morning. He was then booked into jail without bail.
The suspect, who was later identified as 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II of Chico, is scheduled for arraignment on Monday.
Stout has two previous "strike" felony convictions, prosecutors said. In 2001, he was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Butte County. He was convicted the following year in Kern County of robbery with great bodily injury, leading to a 20-year prison sentence, prosecutors added.
The fire has gone on to force 3,500 people to evacuate, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office. It's burned more than 124,000 acres while containment stands at 3% as of Thursday evening.
Several homes have been seen destroyed, but it's not clear how many homes have been destroyed at this point.
Alligator Hole is a popular area for people to cool off during the summer and is about six miles east of Chico's city plaza. Upper Bidwell Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the nation and is home to many hiking and biking trails, swimming holes and picnic areas.