A Former College Professor Is A Serial Arsonist In Northern California, Feds Say

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/ [login to see] /former-college-professor-arson-charges-california-dixie-fire
Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire have also been facing a second enemy: a serial arsonist who went on a spree of setting fires in July and August — and who sought to trap fire crews with his fires, according to agents from the U.S. Forest Service. They allege former college professor Gary Maynard is the culprit, citing their tracking of his movements and other evidence.

"Where Maynard went, fires started. Not just once, but over and over again," the government said in a court memorandum arguing for Maynard to be denied bail.

While court documents allege that Maynard is connected to more than a half-dozen dangerous fires in Northern California, he is currently charged with starting only the Ranch Fire. That blaze broke out on Saturday morning, in a remote area where, according to court records, Maynard had just camped for the night. It's one of three fires officials say Maynard set in recent days — all of them very close to the Dixie Fire's northeastern footprint.

"He entered the evacuation zone and began setting fires behind the first responders fighting the Dixie fire," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento said in court papers. It added, "Maynard's fires were placed in the perfect position to increase the risk of firefighters being trapped between fires."