California Fires – Arson Investigation Underway

UPDATE:  Law enforcement sources are saying an Orange County home was not searched, as previously reported but that an arson investigation and evidence recovery effort is underway to determine the cause of the fires.

Special FBI teams gathered evidence Wednesday as part of a possible arson investigation into the wildfires devastating Southern California, the agency said.

FBI evidence response teams recovered materials they hoped would identify the source of the fires that have burned for four days. The FBI said a house was not searched, correcting earlier reports from a law enforcement official.

Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman in Washington, said the evidence response teams “have been working with other federal, state and local authorities” to identify the source of the fires.

California authorities and FBI agents searched a home Wednesday as part of an arson investigation into one of the wildfires devastating Southern California, a law enforcement official said.

The search was conducted in Orange County by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, the official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing, would not say what was taken.

The fires, now in their fourth day, have destroyed 1,500 homes and caused at least a half-million people to flee, in what has become the largest evacuation in state history. At least 1,200 damaged homes were in San Diego County, which is just south of Orange County, and officials believe that number will rise.

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