BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A man who sparked a 45-square-mile wildfire in Central California has pleaded guilty to burning timber and giving false information to forest officers.
KBAK-TV (https://bit.ly/2da4fXe ) says 29-year-old Angel Garcia-Avalos entered the plea Thursday.
A Mexican citizen who’s in the country illegally, Garcia was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison before being deported.
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He also was ordered to repay $61 million in firefighting costs - at $25 a month.
The Cedar Fire erupted Aug. 16 in Sequoia National Forest, burning nearly 46 square miles and six cabins.
Prosecutors say Garcia’s car muffler ignited dead grass after he drove off a paved road and got stuck.
He then put his 4-year-old son on his shoulders and walked away, later telling authorities that someone had stolen the car.
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