At least 13 people have been arrested for West Coast arson crimes. Here are the details.



As wildfires scorch the West Coast, debate is raging on the internet over what exactly is causing the fires — climate change or human acts of arson. And as Glenn Beck pointed out on Wednesday, it appears the left and Big Tech have already made their determination and have resolved to make that everyone else's determination, too.

Over the past week, PolitiFact summarily shot down allegations of human-made fires and Facebook announced a sweeping policy to flag and remove posts on the platform suggesting as much.

But that flies in the face of the truth of the matter regarding the wildfires, which is that many of the fires burning through California, Oregon, and Washington state were in fact started by criminals. While reasonable people might argue about the extent to which climate change and/or poor forest management made the fires worse than they otherwise would have been, there can be no doubt that many of these fires would not have existed at all if they had not been intentionally started by humans.

A quick survey of national and local media reports show that there have been at least 13 named individuals arrested on arson crimes in recent weeks.

Here are the details

1. Jeffrey Acord, 36, was arrested in Puyallup, Washington, last Wednesday on reckless burning charges. When police arrived on the scene, Acord reportedly started Facebook livestreaming the incident to act like he had discovered the fire. Acord is a known Black Lives Matter activist who led a BLM rally in June. He had previously been arrested on weapons charges during a 2014 protest in Ferguson, Missouri.

2. Elijas Newton Pendergrass, 44, was arrested under suspicion of starting the Sweet Creek Milepost 2 fire west of Eugene, Oregon, earlier this month. That fire has burned hundreds of acres and prompted evacuations.

3. Christine Comello, 36, was arrested in Spokane, Washington, last week on first- and second-degree arson charges. She had allegedly started fires near a commercial business and an old oil drum that reportedly "gave the fire the potential to explode into something much larger."

4. Domingo Lopez Jr., 45, was arrested near Portland, Oregon, this week for starting a fire using a Molotov cocktail. A day later, police said he was arrested again for starting six more small brushfires. He was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and is being held on a total of seven counts of reckless burning.

5. Michael Jarrod Bakkela, 41, was arrested in Phoenix, Oregon, last week on two counts of arson, 15 counts of criminal mischief, and 14 counts of reckless endangerment. According to police, Bakkela is responsible for setting one of the two origins of the Almeda fire, which burned thousands of acres in southern Oregon and has killed two people. As of last week, 50 people remain unaccounted for as a result of the fire.

6. Jonathan Maas, 44, was arrested in Dexter, Oregon, for allegedly starting a fire in the woods near a frisbee golf course.

7. Anita Esquivel, 37, was arrested in Salinas, California, for allegedly starting multiple fires along Highway 101. There were reportedly some indications that Esquivel was connected to Antifa, but the Monterey County District Attorney's Office has since denied those allegations.

8. Osmin Palencia, 36, a homeless man, was arrested last month for allegedly starting the Ranch 2 Fire in Azusa, California. That fire ended up burning through nearly 5,000 acres of land and took hundreds of firefighters to contain.

9. Ivan Geronimo Gomez, 31, has been arrested under suspicion that he was involved in starting the massive Dolan Fire in Big Sur, California, which has burned through at least 23,000 acres. Gomez was also detained under suspicion of illegal marijuana cultivation.

10. Sammy Piatt, 53, was arrested for setting a pile of leaves on fire near a county building last Friday in Oregon City, Oregon..

11. Jett Avery Thomas, 36, was arrested for allegedly trying to set a hotel gas pipe on fire in Portland, Oregon.

12. John Davies, 55, and reportedly a transient, was arrested earlier this month for starting multiple fires in Novato, California.

13. Jacob Altona, 28, was arrested after being chased by cops along State Route 512 and State Route 7 in Washington. He was alleged to have started a fire in the brush along the highway.

Anything else?

It should be noted that these are only the instances in which law enforcement were able to catch the individuals allegedly starting fires, as well as only the instances in which the suspects names have been released. There have been more reported arrests.

Also, on Sept. 7, after 300,000 acres were reported to have burned the day prior in Washington state, public lands commissioner Hilary Franz said she believes all 58 of the fires were caused by humans.

"Because there was no lightning in the area, we believe all of these fires we saw yesterday were human caused," Franz said.

While information is still being collected about the fires across the West Coast, it's fair to call it malpractice to brush aside claims that criminals are responsible for starting many of the fires.

Here's more from Glenn Beck:

Armed Oregon woman holds suspected arsonist at gunpoint until cops arrive



As wildfires rage along the West Coast, law enforcement has nabbed several suspected arsonists, including multiple arrests in Oregon.

One armed Oregonian was ready to defend her property — and her state — from the actions of a suspected would-be arsonist, and now her story is going viral on social media.

What happened?

Kat Cast posted a video to Facebook over the weekend showing her taking action to get a man she believed to be an arsonist off her property, on the ground, and eventually into the back of a police vehicle and the local clink.

In the video, Cast can been seen getting out of her car with gun drawn and approaching a suspicious man who was walking on her property.

According to Cast's Facebook post, she said she found the man walking on her property as she was driving in. All he was carrying was a book of matches, Cast stated.

Some of you still think we're not being under attack. I found this individual walking in my property as I was driving in, all he had were some matches in his hand. Walked him out of my property at gunpoint and then when we got to some asphalt ground on the main road made him lay down while the cops arrived.

In the video, the suspect lies down on the road as Cast approaches him, shouting, "Get on the floor. Get on the floor right now — face down."

Image source: Facebook/Kat Cast video screenshot

"What are you doing on my property?" she asks, to which the suspect replies that he didn't know it was her property.

"Did you light anything on fire?" she continues.

"No, ma'am," he replies.

Then she demands to know what he's doing with the book of matches, and he claims he smokes.

"You smoke? Where are your f***ing cigarettes?" the woman demands to know.

Image source: Facebook/Kat Cast video screenshot

Turns out he didn't have any cigarettes — just matches he was carrying around in his hand while strolling along her property.

Cast tells the suspect to stay on the ground because the police were on their way: "You can just stay right there. I've got the cops coming'."

Content warning: rough language

Shortly after the video stopped, Cast said, cops did arrive and take the man into custody.

According to Cast's Facebook post, the suspect has "multiple warrants one of them being assaulting a police officer."

Cast also made it clear that the suspect should consider himself lucky that she found him and not her husband.

"Had my husband been here he would have been dead," she wrote.

Blowback and encouragement

In an update to her post, Cast noted that many people, including the media, had been reaching out to her about the story. Many, she said, doubted her story and said it looked staged, but most of the comments were supportive.

Because she did not want more stress put on her family, she said she would not be talking to the media about the incident.

I read all your msgs to me, even the private ones, I can tell you that this truly did happen and there is nothing fake about it, I do not wish to keep private msgs between you and I, not with you or the dozens of people who are reaching out to me. Some with terrifying words, but mostly I am truly humbled by many kind words that have been said to me. I do not wish to speak to anyone, it doesn't matter to me if it's a journalist who wants to put out on the news, I will not put my family in danger by exposing myself any more than what I have already, besides the media will just twist my words. Feel free to use the pictures that you have obtained if you want but I will not interview with anyone. I will tell you something though if I need to do this again to protect my family and my neighbors, I will in a heartbeat do it again, except this time I will not be as nice as I was. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." In all things, may the victory come to us while the glory goes to God. Blessings -Kat.

West Coast wildfires continue to rage: At least 36 people dead, nearly 5 million acres torched; smoke cloud reaches East Coast



Raging wildfires are still wrecking havoc along the West Coast, and now there are almost 90 wildfires in nearly a dozen states, the National Interagency Fire Center reported Tuesday.

So far the fires have burned an estimated 4.8 million acres, with a majority of the damage occurring in California, Oregon, Washington, and now Idaho.

According to the NIFC, firefighters have been able to contain six large fires — one in Montana, two in Oregon, and three in California.

The NIFC said that 11 states are currently reporting a total of 87 large fires:

● Arizona (1)
● California (23)
● Colorado (4)
● Idaho (13)
● Montana (9)
● Nevada (1)
● Oregon (12)
● South Dakota (1)
● Utah (6)
● Washington (15)
● Wyoming (2)

Dozens dead, many more missing

As tens of thousands of people continue to be displaced, the casualty count continues to rise.

According to CNN's latest reporting, at least 36 people have been killed in the West Coast wildfires. Of those killed, 25 were in the California fires, 10 in Oregon, and one in Washington.

The Oregon Office of Emergency Management's website said Tuesday that at least 22 people are missing in the state and at least 1,145 homes have been destroyed.

'Dangerous' smoke — and its spreading

The smoke in the region has led IQAir, a group that tracks global air quality, to report that the West Coast currently has the worst air quality in the world, CNN said.

Virtually all of Washington is covered by "unbelievably irritating, downright unhealthy and dangerous" smoke, Gov. Jay Inslee announced.

And in Oregon, USA Today reported, at least 10% of emergency room visits are for asthma-like symptoms.

Now, the growing smoke cloud has reached the Atlantic Ocean.

AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz told USA Today that wildfire smoke has finally traveled thousands of miles and reached the East Coast.

According to USA Today, Benz said "you can draw a line from California through St. Louis and on to Norfolk, Virginia — pretty much everyplace north of that line is looking at smoke-tainted skies."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted a map showing just how much smoke is currently covering the U.S.

Image source: NOAA Office of Satellite and Product Operations screenshot

Men accused of looting homes in Oregon's wildfire evacuation zone take deputies on crazy chase through golf course



Deputies have arrested two men who they believe were looting homes in Oregon that had been evacuated due to the deadly wildfires on the West Coast.

The Beachie Creek Fire, which is smoldering in Clackamas and Marion Counties south of Portland, has burned 186,856 acres. In Marion County, officials have ordered 13,764 structures to be evacuated because they are at a Level 3 evacuation, which means "evacuate now" because there is current or imminent danger for the area.

Devastating video from Mill City, taken by a @MCSOInTheKnow deputy. A huge section of the Santiam Canyon is under e… https://t.co/qpSvcYlJTa
— Hannah Ray Lambert (@Hannah Ray Lambert)1599591398.0


OREGON: a family flees near Detroit Lake. A seriously frightening & fiery experience while also showcasing the brav… https://t.co/9cCAG3FZgl
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ELIJAH RIOT)1599631980.0

With so many homes having been evacuated because of the massive fires, two Oregon men apparently tried to capitalize on the devastating natural disaster. Anthony Travis Bodda, 21, and Alexander Justin Jones, 36, were accused by police of looting evacuated homes in Marion County and taking deputies on a wild high-speed chase.

On Thursday, firefighting crews alerted police to a suspicious van in the towns of Detroit and Idahna, and were concerned that the vehicle could be involved with recent looting in the area.

Deputies responded just after 10 a.m. on Thursday, and the van drove off "at a high rate of speed." Deputies from Marion and Linn Counties, as well as Oregon State Police, pursued the van in the Beachie Creek wildfire evacuation zone. The men attempted to ditch police by driving through a golf course.

Police used spike strips to disable the vehicle, then the men jumped out of the van and ran through the golf course. A police dog chased down the suspects. One was attempting to break into a home to escape the cops when he was apprehended. The other man was also tracked down by a K9 unit as he was entering a goat shed, according to police.

Bodda and Jones were both booked at the Marion County Jail and charged with attempted theft in the first degree, burglary in the second degree, felony elude, misdemeanor elude, reckless driving, interfering with a peace officer, possession of a burglary tool, reckless endangering, criminal mischief in the first degree, and criminal trespass in the second degree.

Sheriff officials said several stolen items were found inside the van. Bodda and Jones are also responsible for $1,500 in damage to the golf course, according to Fox News.

"I am disappointed that while in a state of emergency these people would victimize members of our community," Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said. "The women and men of the Marion County Sheriff's Office are committed to holding people accountable if they chose to victimize residents from our evacuated areas."

He added that his officers would continue to patrol the evacuated areas to prevent any looting.

People in Oregon have said that their homes were looted during the deadly wildfires.

"Everything had been rifled through," said Christy Beaver from Junction City. "Drawers were open. Stuff was all over. Credit cards and checkbooks were missing. We're not sure what else is missing because we haven't been able to go back up there."

Blue River resident Marcie Costa said that she lost her home in the Holiday Farm Fire. Her neighbor's home survived the fire, but possession worth more than $1,000 were stolen, including a generator.

"We've suffered enough these people have suffered enough," Costa said. "We don't need to be victimized anymore from someone who don't give a stuff about us."

"We understand that OSP and the Sheriff's Department are doing the best that they can," Costa said. "But they're spread so thin."

Rumors of widespread looting caused 300 people to attempt to return to their homes inside the fiery evacuation zone. The concerned residents left the Super 8 hotel in Redmond on Thursday to inspect their properties for fire damage and looting.

"All across the region, we are asking folks to please respect those closures," said Kassidy Kern, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. "Not just for the security of your personal property, but also for firefighters working in the area."

Nancy Pelosi says wildfires and hurricanes are punishment sent by 'mother Earth' over the climate crisis



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ascribed the cause of the destructive hurricanes and wildfires plaguing the nation to "mother Earth" being angered by the climate crisis.

Pelosi made the comments during an interview on MSNBC Thursday while speaking to anchor Joy Ann Reid.

"We have these fires in California and in the West, sixteen people have died in Washington, Oregon, and California including a firefighter and a one-year old baby," she said.

"We, our firefighters have been so very very courageous. Now again we're breaking records," she continued.

"Mother Earth is angry, she's telling us, whether she's telling us with hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, fires in the West, whatever it is, that the climate crisis is real and has an impact," Pelosi said.

"I came over the weekend back to Washington and it was unhealthy and smoky, that was how they described the air then," she explained. "Now, it has gotten much worse and I'm hearing regularly on the ongoing from my constituents about the concern they have about the fires and the air quality, the loss of life and over three million acres burned. That's an historic number."

Wildfires ravage the coast

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in order to prevent loss of life from the wildfires in the western states. Millions of acres have been scorched with thousands of buildings lost to the conflagration.

The first death attributed to the wildfires was reported in Washington when a family was severely burned as they tried to escape. The parents were hospitalized but their one-year-old boy died from the incident.

The El Dorado fire in Yucaipa, California, has burned through more than 13,000 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest after being accidentally sparked by a malfunctioning smoke machine at a gender reveal party, according to local officials.

Here's the video of the comments from Nancy Pelosi:

Nancy Pelosi Discussing California Wildfires: 'Mother Earth Is Angry… Climate Crisis Is Real'www.youtube.com