Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Zel Canter recently dismissed five felony counts and additional charges filed against a local ranch and two of its employees for allegedly starting the Zaca Fire last summer.
On July 4, 2007, Rancho La Laguna LLC employees Santiago Iniquez Cervantes of Santa Maria and Jose Jesus Cabrera of Santa Ynez were reportedly grinding metal on the ranch when a spark from the machinery ignited what would turn out to be California’s second largest recorded wildfire.
The fire burned more than 240,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest, but no one was killed. However, several firefighters were injured while fighting the fire.
Last week, a preliminary hearing in Santa Maria was held to determine whether Cervantes and Cabrera acted recklessly while on the job. The hearing was also held to determine whether there was sufficient evidence for the men to stand trial on the charges against them.
At the hearing, Canter found that the defendants did not act recklessly, and all felony charges were dropped. The charges included four felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury and one felony count of recklessly causing a fire affecting a structure or forest.
The men, along with their employer, Rancho La Laguna, still face a misdemeanor charge of carelessness with a flaming substance and an infraction for allegedly failing to obtain a “Hot Work Permit,” which violates county code and California Fire Code.
A possible settlement hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23. If the ranch, Cervantes, or Cabrera are found guilty of the misdemeanor, they could face fines up to $1,150 and 180 days in jail, said senior deputy district attorney and case prosecutor Jerry Lulejian.
When asked if the firefighters would receive restitution for their injuries, Lulejian said that the prosecution would be arguing the case as if “the victims of the crime are the people who were injured.”
This article appears in Oct 16-23, 2008.