The man accused of starting the Park Fire was in court Thursday to enter a plea on charges he intentionally set the nearly 430,000-acre blaze.
Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico entered a plea of not guilty in Butte County Superior Court. It was his third court appearance since his arrest early in the morning on July 25 at his mother’s home in Chico.
Stout is due back in court on Sept. 19 to set a date for a preliminary hearing on the arson charge against him.
Stout was in Upper Bidwell Park near Chico when he allegedly got his car stuck on a rock shortly before 3 p.m. on July 24. He started a grass fire underneath the vehicle as he was attempting to free the vehicle, a 2007 Toyota Yaris, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
At some point, he was able to free the vehicle and push it over the edge of an embankment. The car burst into flames when it landed at the bottom of the gully, Ramsey said.
Witnesses told investigators that Stout did not attempt to extinguish the fire or warn others about the blaze, Ramsey said. Instead, he calmly walked away from the area, he said.
Stout told investigators that the fire started accidentally and that he was afraid after the fire started, so he left the area, Ramsey said.
During his first court appearance, Judge Kristen Lucena would not allow Stout to post bail from jail. If he is found guilty on the arson charge and associated special allegations, he could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, Ramsey said.
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From its origin near Chico, the fire quickly spread, burning nearly 170,000 acres in two days. As of Thursday, the fire had consumed 429,460 acres, making it the fourth-largest fire in California history. The blaze also destroyed 637 structures and damaged another 49, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
At one point, more than 6,000 people were assigned to the fire. By Thursday, that number was down to 3,358 people working on the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
As of Thursday, public agencies had spent $251 million fighting the fire, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
In an update on the status of the fire issued Thursday, Cal Fire said “there was minimal activity on the fire, islands within the fire perimeter continue to burn overnight. Containment continues to increase.”
The fire was 61% contained and all roads that had been closed near the fire are once again open, Cal Fire said.
There also was concern of flash flooding in the area of the fire due to rain showers expected Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at [email protected] and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Man accused of starting Park Fire enters plea to arson charge
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