By Henry K. Lee
The San Francisco Chronicle
A former volunteer firefighter already charged with setting four fires in Sonoma County pleaded not guilty to arson Wednesday in connection with a blaze in San Mateo County.
Nathaniel Ridgway Schmidt, 20, of Cazadero entered his plea in a Redwood City courtroom. He is free on $50,000 bond. Schmidt was working on a July 11, 2011, controlled burn near the San Andreas Dam west of Interstate 280.
During the training exercise by Cal Fire and the San Francisco Water Department, a supervisor told Schmidt — who was a volunteer firefighter with the Timber Cove Fire Protection District in Sonoma County — to walk the fire line to look for “hot spots,” said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe
Full story: DA: Ex-firefighter set blazes for kicks