Former College Professor Indicted For Setting Second-Biggest Wildfire in California History

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A former college professor has been indicted on five counts for setting what was the second-largest wildfire in California history.

According to the Associated Press:

Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of arson to federal property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said in a statement.

According to court documents, Maynard’s alleged arson spree included blazes he started in July and August behind crews fighting the Dixie Fire, which became the second biggest wildfire in California history, scorching more than 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers) and destroying more than 1,000 structures.

Federal prosecutors say Maynard, a resident of San Jose, set four blazes: the Cascade and Everitt fires, on July 20 and 21, and the Ranch and Conard Fires on Aug. 7.

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Maynard has denied setting the fires, court papers say. It wasn’t immediately known whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Maynard apparently was a professor at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, according to the AP.