MONTEREY, Calif. (KNX) — A man accused of starting a 2020 wildfire that killed 12 endangered California condors and critically injured a firefighter was convicted Thursday on arson charges.
Ivan Gomez, 31, may face up to 24 years in state prison when sentenced, according to prosecutors in Monterey County.
Gomez was convicted of setting the Big Sur Dolan fire while illegally cultivating cannabis in the Los Padres National Forest, the D.A.’s office announced Thursday. The fire was set in Aug. 2020. It destroyed 10 homes and an 80-acre condor sanctuary in Big Sur that has been used to release captive-bred birds into the wild since 1997.
Gomez was arrested after state parks officers spotted the fire and received reports of a man throwing rocks at cars on a nearby roadway. Upon his apprehension, Gomez, who was reportedly shirtless and sweaty, confessed to setting the fire. Officers found several lighters that matched others found at the point of ignition on his person, according to the D.A.’s office.
Three firefighters were hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation. One of them, a fire captain, suffered serious injuries.
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