16-Year-Old Boy Charged With Arson in the Gap Fire

By Diane Smith
13:10, November 18th 2008
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16-Year-Old Boy Charged With Arson in the Gap Fire

Police officials said a 16-year-old boy was arrested under charges of arson on Monday. He is allegedly responsible for the Santa Barbara County fire that broke out in July. The blaze burnt 9,544 acres, destroyed four outbuildings near Goleta and cost the state $20 million to fight.

The teen was charged on Monday, but he had been in police custody on unrelated charges in the Santa Barbara County juvenile detention facility located in Santa Maria according to Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman Kathy Good.

The fire that broke out in July was also known as the Gap Fire and is not related to the current blaze that has been burning in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

The investigation into the arsonist responsible for the Gap Fire took five months and included tips from sources that eventually led to the 16-year-old boy’s arrest. Details about the case and the arsonist won’t be released until later, said Capt. Eli Iskow, of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

"Arson is a crime that is very, very difficult to follow up because obviously there are technical issues using burn material as evidence, finding evidence, the ignition source, and then tracking it back to the person," Iskow said.

It took the firefighters 28 days to extinguish the Gap Fire, which broke out in the Lizard Mouth area of Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The firefighters are currently making huge efforts to contain the fire in Montecito. As of Monday, the wildfire was 95% contained after it burned about 1,940 acres, destroyed 210 homes and damaged nine homes. About 25 people were injured.



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