The Norco man accused of setting the Line fire burning in San Bernardino County was charged with nine felonies on Thursday, Sept. 12, including one count of aggravated arson that would carry a sentence of 11 years in state prison to as much as a life term.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, is scheduled to make a court appearance on Friday, Sept. 13, via closed-circuit television in Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga. He was being held without the possibility of bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco, was charged with nine felony arson counts on Sept. 12, 2024, related to the Line brush fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains. (Brian Rokos, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Aggravated arson can be charged when a suspect “willfully, maliciously, deliberately, with premeditation” ignites a fire to injure someone or damage property, according to the state Penal Code. At least $7 million in damage or costs are needed in order to charge someone with aggravated arson.
In this case, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said, Halstenberg tried setting the blaze three times in a short span of time on Sept. 5 in Highland before succeeding.
The first attempt came on Bacon Lane, but the Fire Department quickly extinguished the flames. The second try was on Base Line Road and Alpin Lane. A good Samaritan stomped out the fire, said Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a DA’s spokeswoman.
A third attempt at the same location resulted in the fire that continued to burn on Thursday.
“It shows that there was a relentless obsession with starting a fire,” Rodriguez said.
Investigators have not determined a motive.
They did learn what Rodriguez described as a “signature” method of igniting the fire that she declined to describe.
Such methods can vary. Raymond Lee Oyler, for instance, tried various ways to set numerous fires in the Banning area in 2006 before settling on matches wrapped around a cigarette with a rubber band to set the Esperanza fire that killed five U.S. Forest Service firefighters.
Halstenberg was also charged with three counts of arson of forest lane, three counts of possession of material or a device to set a fire, one count of arson of an inhabited structure, and one count of arson causing great bodily injury, Superior Court records show.
The great bodily injury charge was for a firefighter who suffered a broken ankle.
Line fire officials have estimated the cost of fighting the fire so far at $14 million, Rodriguez said.
Jail and court records do not indicate that Halsternberg has hired an attorney yet who could speak on his behalf.
The fire was reported at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 5. Investigators used images from automated license-plate readers to connect Halsternberg to the ignition.
The fire had burned 37,589 acres and was 21% contained, according to the latest information as of Thursday evening.
“It seems like the crews up there have everything under control,” said Fabian Herrera, a spokesman for the incident command.
The crews had a number of objectives on Thursday: preventing the fire’s westward spread near the 330 Highway, the northern spread near the 18 Highway, and focusing on the Santa Ana Creek ridge southwest of Big Bear.
“The 330 corridor has been a major issue for us to hold,” Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Jeremy Pierce said Thursday. “We’re trying to prevent any westward progression underneath the communities of Arrowhead. Any fire that gets on that (steep terrain) its tough to contain.”
“But we’ve had no hotspots on the west side,” he said.
The fight will be mostly by air near Big Bear.
“It’s very steep,” Herrera said. “It’s expected that the fire is going to grow. Once it reaches the top of the ridge, it is expected to plateau.”
The battle was buoyed Thursday by temperatures that Herrera said are 5-10 degrees lower than Wednesday’s. That, coupled with higher humidity, was expected to slow the spread of the fire and make the task easier for firefighters.
“They are going to be less fatigued and that is going to give them a bigger window to work efficiently,” Herrera said
Here is what we know
• Acres burned: 37,589• Containment: 21%• Homes evacuated: 65,000 residences• Cause of fire: Arson suspected• When it started: Sept. 5
Line Fire Evacuations
There were 65,000 residences under evacuation orders or warnings. A warning means residents should prepare to leave.
The area north of Highland Avenue and East of Palm Avenue to Highway 330 was previously under an evacuation order, but was downgraded to a warning Wednesday afternoon.
Orders that were in place on Thursday:
• Big Bear Dam east to Wildrose Lane and the south shoreline south to Bluff Lake Basin
• Green Valley Lake north of Highway 18
• All underdeveloped land east of Highway 330 to Summertrail Place and north of Highland Avenue
• The area of Big Bear from the dam east to Wildrose Lane, and the south shoreline south to Bluff Lake Basin
• The communities of Running Springs and Arrowbear Lake
• The area east of Orchard Road to Cloverhill from Highland Avenue north to the foothills
• Forest Falls
• Mountain Home Village
• Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and all campgrounds and cabins in the area
• Green Valley Lake north of Highway 18 along Green Valley Road
Related Articles
Video shows Cal Fire battalion chief rescues woman walking near Airport fire flames
Cooler weather hampers spread of Bridge fire, now at more than 51,000 acres
Airport fire destroys homes of 2 brothers, doors apart — ‘It was like a hurricane’
Acalanes to play Del Oro after Davis Fire cancels game against Galena
An explosive California wildfire looked like a bomb went off from space – here’s what’s happening
