The men accused of accidentally starting the $118 million Zaca fire appeared in court today, say they're not guilty

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The men accused of accidentally starting the $118 million Zaca fire appeared in court today, say they're not guilty

The ranch hands accused of accidentally starting the $118 million Zaca fire appeared in court today, entering pleas of not guilty.
Jose Cabrera and Santiago Cervantes appeared in court today facing felony charges in connection with the fire. Their employer, Rancho La Laguna also faces those same charges and also plead not guilty.
Authorities believe their "recklessness" ( No fire control plan) on the job sparked the Zaca Fire on the fourth of July. The fire was started by the ranch workers using a grinder on a water pipe, which ignited very dry vegetation and quickly spread across State lands and into the Federal wilderness.
The massive Zaca fire (SRA) and Zaca Two (Federal wilderness) fire burned for two months and ultimately consumed more than 240,000 acres becoming the second largest wildland fire in California's history. If convicted, the defendants could face jail time, fines and responsibility for a portion of the fire cost. The total cost of the fire is over $118 million.
They will be back in court in December.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007