Wildfire Update 2018

00000171-95d3-d2cb-a5f3-9fff6ded0000 Check here for information on fires in our region. You can also check out these resources:Northwest Interagency Coordination CenterSWOFIRE: Oregon Department of Forestry, SW regionCalFire: Current Fire InformationInciWeb: Incident Information SystemOregon Smoke Blog: Smoke informationSouth Central Oregon Fire Management Cooperative (Klamath/Lake Counties & Crater Lake)

Northern California Man Arrested In Connection With Deadly Klamathon Wildfire

Published August 24, 2018 at 8:53 AM PDT

<p>The Klamathon Fire which started July 5, 2018, burns its way along the California-Oregon border.</p> — The Klamathon Fire which started July 5, 2018, burns its way along the California-Oregon border.

Northern California authorities have arrested a man they say started the deadly Klamathon Fire last month.

California's fire agency said Thursday that it arrested 32-year-old John Colin Eagle Skoda after investigators concluded that a debris fire he started turned into a 60-square-mile blaze that killed one person and destroyed 35 homes.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Suzi Brady said Skoda quickly lost control of the unpermitted debris fire he started in Siskiyou County about 300 miles north of San Francisco.

The July 5 wildfire also forced thousands of residents to evacuate and temporarily shut down Interstate 5, a major north-south corridor.

Skoda, of San Francisco, was booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and fire-related charges. Jail records don't indicate if he is represented by an attorney.