Holy Fire (2018)

The Holy Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange and Riverside Counties, California. The wildfire started on August 6, 2018 at around 1:15 PM PDT, in the vicinity of Trabuco Canyon.[8][9] A suspected arsonist was booked into the Orange County jail in Santa Ana, California[10] but found not guilty in 2023.[7] The blaze burned 23,136 acres (94 km2)[1][4][5] and destroyed 18 buildings,[1] before it was fully contained on September 13, 2018.[1][11] While the fire was actively spreading in early and mid-August, residents of the nearby cities of Corona, Temescal Valley, and Lake Elsinore were placed under evacuation orders.[12]

Not to be confused with Holy Fire.
Holy Fire
Smoke at sunset from the Holy Fire, as seen in Mission Viejo, on August 9, 2018
LocationCleveland National Forest, Orange and Riverside Counties, California
Coordinates33°40′44″N 117°31′00″W
Statistics[1][2]
Cost>$25.7 million (2018 USD)[3]
Date(s)August 6, 2018 – September 13, 2018
Burned area23,136 acres (9,363 ha)[1][4]
CauseArson[5]
Buildings destroyed18
DeathsNone reported
Non-fatal injuries3 firefighters[6]
Perpetrator(s)Unknown (1 suspect acquitted by jury)[5][7]
MotiveUnknown
Map
Holy Fire (2018) is located in California
Holy Fire (2018)

Timeline

The Holy Fire was first reported at 1:15 PM PST on Monday August 6, 2018, in Holy Jim Canyon (from which the fire derives its name),[13][8] a community of about 40 homes and cabins in the Trabuco Canyon area of the Santa Ana Mountains.[14] Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Trabuco Canyon, including the entire community of Holy Jim. Trabuco Creek Road was subsequently closed at Trabuco Canyon Road indefinitely as the Orange County Sheriff Department continues their investigation. It quickly moved uphill in a northeast direction, jumping the crest of the Santa Ana Mountains into neighboring Riverside County, threatening the areas of Corona, El Cerrito, and Glen Ivy Hot Springs. At the time, the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Growth and Containment
Fire containment status
Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained;
Date Acres burned (ha) Containment Growth (%)
Aug 74,000 (1,600)
0%
 N/A
Aug 86,200 (2,500)
0%
 +55%
Aug 910,236 (4,142)
5%
 +65.1%
Aug 1019,107 (7,732)
10%
 +86.6%
Aug 1121,473 (8,690)
29%
 +12.4%
Aug 1322,714 (9,192)
52%
 +5.7%
Aug 1422,986 (9,302)
59%
 +1.2%
Aug 1522,986 (9,302)
78%
 +0%
Aug 1622,986 (9,302)
82%
 +0%
Aug 1822,986 (9,302)
91%
 +0%
Aug 2422,986 (9,302)
95%
 +0%
Aug 2622,986 (9,363)
100%
 +0%
Aug 2723,136 (9,363)
94%
 +0.6%
Sep 1323,136 (9,363)
100%
 +0%

Impact

By August 8, thirteen cabins had been destroyed in Holy Jim (sic - impacted cabins are in Trabuco).[15] No major injuries were reported.[16] By August 10, one home along Ortega Highway had also been destroyed, the only confirmed home in Riverside County at that time. By August 13, the Holy Fire had destroyed a total of 18 structures in both Orange and Riverside Counties.[1]

Evacuation areas

On August 13, the neighborhoods under mandatory evacuation included:[17][18][19][20]

As of August 13, neighborhoods under voluntary evacuation included:

  • Trilogy (Temescal Valley)[20]

Acquitted Suspect
Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, was the suspected arsonist until acquitted in 2023.[7]

The fire was allegedly started by 51-year-old Forrest Gordon Clark; it was ignited near a cabin owned by Clark in the Holy Jim Canyon community.[21] He was arrested on August 8, 2018 and booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize, and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest. Two weeks before the fire started, Clark reportedly sent a message to Mike Milligan, the volunteer fire chief of Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department, reading "This place is going to burn."[5] However, Clark later claimed he was asleep at the time the fire started.[22] Clark’s bail was set for $1 million.[10]

Court appearances and acquittal

On August 10, 2018, Forrest Gordon Clark made his first court appearance. He was originally scheduled to appear on August 9, 2018. However, he refused to leave his jail cell.[23] He was due back in court on August 17, 2018.[24] On August 17, when he appeared for the second time, which was the third attempt for his court hearing, Clark’s erratic behavior caused a judge to stop the normal proceedings, ending with a suspension of the charges so Clark’s mental health and competency can be examined. Two examinations were submitted before his next court appearance on October 10, 2018.[25] A third, "tie-breaking" examination was ordered after competing examinations were submitted. On November 28, 2018, Clark was ruled competent to assist attorneys in his defense, and subsequently the resisting arrest charges were dropped. On December 12, 2018, he pled not guilty to the remaining charges.[26]

On February 10, 2021, a request for Clark's US$1,000,000 bail to be lowered was denied by a judge. The judge stated that the rejection stemmed from a concern for public safety.[7] On June 1, 2023, Forrest Clark was found not guilty of all arson charges.[27]

See also

References
  1. "Holy Fire". Cleveland National Forest. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  2. "Holy Fire". CAL FIRE. August 26, 2018. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  3. "2018 National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  4. "Holy Fire Reignites, Burns 150 Acres". CBS Los Angeles. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  5. Faith Karimi and Eliott C. McLaughlin (2018-08-10). "'The place is going to burn,' arson suspect allegedly texted before Holy Fire". CNN.
  6. Ruben Vives; Laura J. Nelson; Doug Smith (August 12, 2018). "Firefighters gain upper hand on 22,700-acre Holy fire in Cleveland National Forest, as containment rises to 41%". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  7. Emery, Sean (February 10, 2021). "Judge declines to reduce bail for man accused of igniting massive Holy fire". The Orange County Register. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  8. "Holy Fire Now 92 Percent Contained". NBC Southern California. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. Grad, James Queally, Joseph Serna, Alene Tchekmedyian, Shelby (2018-08-06). "Firefighters battle 4,000-acre brush fire in Orange County amid extreme heat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-08-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Holy Fire: Suspect arrested in connection to blaze". ABC 7 Los Angeles. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  11. Brian Rokos (September 14, 2018). "Holy fire in Riverside and Orange counties is 100 percent contained". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  12. "Holy Fire more than 9,600 acres near Lake Elsinore-Corona area". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  13. "Who was Holy Jim, anyway?". 8 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  14. "Holy fire spreads to 4,000 acres in Orange, Riverside counties". The Mercury News. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  15. Haire, Chris (2018-08-08). "Holy Jim, devastated by fire, faces specter of vanishing forever". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  16. "Holy Fire chars 9,600 acres near Lake Elsinore-Corona area". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  17. Marc Cota-Robles. "Holy Fire explodes to 18,137 acres in Lake Elsinore area". ABC7.
  18. "What to Know: Holy Fire Evacuations, Road Closures". 10 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  19. Salvo, Christina (2018-08-13). "Holy Fire containment rises to 52 percent in Riverside County". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  20. De Atley, Richard; Shultz, Craig; Saavedra, Tony (2018-08-12). "Firefighters get a handle on the Holy fire, containment jumps to 51%". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  21. "More are August 2018".
  22. "Man charged with arson in California 'Holy Fire'". WGN9. 2018-08-09.
  23. "Man Suspected of Starting Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon Area Is Charged After Refusing to Leave Jail Cell for Court Appearance". KTLA. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  24. "'It's a Lie', Holy Fire Arson Suspect Says During First Court Appearance; Arraignment Continued". KTLA. 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  25. "Third arraignment attempt for Holy Fire suspect Forrest Clark goes off the rails again; charges suspended for competency evaluation". DesertSun. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  26. "Judge drops two counts against Holy Fire suspect Forrest Gordon Clark in ongoing hearing". Desert Sun. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  27. Emery, Sean (June 1, 2023). "Man acquitted of igniting massive Holy fire" https://www.ocregister.com/2023/06/01/man-acquitted-of-igniting-massive-holy-fire/. The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
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