The Associated Press Writer
RENO, Nev. — Two years after a wildfire ripped through a thickly forested ravine and destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe, investigators have a “person of interest” but so far no arrests.
Bill Dillard, an investigator with California’s El Dorado County district attorney’s office, said the case remains a high priority and he continues to follow up leads.
“The fact that the tips have not panned out makes me more confident about the person of interest I have,” he said, declining to provide any details about the person.
Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of the blaze that caused $140 million in property damage and scorched 3,100 acres. Investigators think the fire was caused by sparking embers from a campfire at a popular party spot near South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
But they don’t have probable cause to make an arrest yet because of a lack of evidence linking the person to the scene, Dillard said.
“There’s reasonable suspicion, which is a lower standard than probable cause,” he said. “But probable cause is hard to establish in wildfires because evidence burns up and there’s not a whole lot of witnesses.”
The district attorney’s office and U.S. Forest Service have spent hundreds of hours and sorted through hundreds of tips concerning who started the campfire near Seneca Pond. High winds fanned flames and quickly moved the fire toward homes.
“We’re open to any tips,” Dillard said. “We’re hopeful there can be an arrest eventually.”
Last year, a special panel created after the fire warned that another catastrophic blaze is imminent and recommended dozens of steps to stop it, from banning wood shingles to spending more than $100 million to improve the area’s water system.