California wildfires: Man charged over Lower Lake blaze

16 August 2016

A horse stands in front of a house engulfed in flames from the Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, California, Sunday, 14 August 2016 — Image caption,
Hundreds of people have been left homeless and devastated by the Clayton fire, which is still raging in Lower Lake, California

A California man has been arrested on arson charges over a fire that has destroyed more than 175 homes and threatens hundreds more.

Damin Pashilk, 40, faces 17 counts of arson and is suspected of involvement in numerous other fires in Lake County over the past year.

The massive Clayton Fire began on Saturday evening and has been fuelled by fierce winds.

It has wiped out whole blocks in the working-class town of Lower Lake.

It is 5% contained and poses a risk to 1,500 additional structures, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Over 1,600 firefighters are battling the blaze that has left dozens of families homeless in the town 130km (80 miles) north of San Francisco.

In Lower Lake, houses have been razed by the flames, with only their brick chimneys still standing. Burned out hulks of vehicles litter the blackened landscape.

Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, is shown in this booking photo provided by Cal Fire for 17 counts of arson, during a community meeting at the evacuation centre in Middletown for residents displaced by the Clayton Fire at Lower Lake in California, 15 August 2016 — Image caption,
Damin Pashilk - shown here in his police booking photo - is suspected of deliberately starting the Clayton fire

Lower Lake resident Andrea McMullen cries during a community meeting at the evacuation centre in Middletown for residents displaced by the Clayton Fire at Lower Lake in California, U.S. August 15, 2016 — Image caption,
His arrest, announced at a community meeting of residents hit by the wildfire calamity, was greeted by tears - and applause

A destroyed bicycle amid the rubble of a burned property in Lower Lake, California, Monday, 15 August 2016 — Image caption,
Wildfires have stalked the periphery of the town in recent years, but this year barrelled right into it, consuming blocks of housing

News of Mr Pashilk's arrest was greeted with gasps, cheers and applause at a community meeting at a casino being used to house evacuees.

He is from the nearby town of Clear Lake, said reports.

"The residents of Lake County have experienced senseless loss and endured significant hardship over the past year," Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said in a statement.

"Mr Pashilk committed a horrific crime and we will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."

The blaze is one of two dozen major wildfires raging across the US West, which have taken hold amid a five-year drought and high temperatures.