The Holy Fire was a wildfire that burned in the

Cleveland National Forest Cleveland National Forest is a National forest (United States), U.S. national forest in Southern California that encompasses 460,000 acres/ of inland Montane ecosystems, montane regions. It is approximately 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean, withi ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and Riverside Counties,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The wildfire started on August 6, 2018, at around 1:15 PM PDT, in the vicinity of

Trabuco Canyon Trabuco Canyon (''Trabuco'', Spanish for "Blunderbuss") is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California, and lies partly within the Cl ...

. A suspected arsonist was booked into the Orange County jail in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

but found not guilty in 2023. The blaze burned and destroyed 18 buildings, before it was fully contained on September 13, 2018. While the fire was actively spreading in early and mid-August, residents of the nearby cities of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

, Temescal Valley, and

Lake Elsinore Lake Elsinore is a natural freshwater lake in Riverside County, California, United States, located east of the Santa Ana Mountains and fed by the San Jacinto River. Originally named ''Laguna Grande'' by Spanish explorers, it was renamed for t ...

were placed under evacuation orders.

Progression

The Holy Fire was first reported at 1:15 PM PST on Monday, August 6, 2018, in Holy Jim Canyon (from which the fire derives its name), a community of about 40 homes and cabins in the

area of the

Santa Ana Mountains The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riversid ...

. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of

, including the entire community of Holy Jim. Trabuco Creek Road was subsequently closed at Trabuco Canyon Road indefinitely as the Orange County Sheriff Department continues their investigation. It quickly moved uphill in a northeast direction, jumping the crest of the Santa Ana Mountains into neighboring

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

, threatening the areas of Corona, El Cerrito, and Glen Ivy Hot Springs. At the time, the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Effects

By August 8, thirteen cabins had been destroyed in Holy Jim (sic - impacted cabins are in Trabuco). No major injuries were reported. By August 10, one home along Ortega Highway had also been destroyed, the only confirmed home in Riverside County at that time. By August 13, the Holy Fire had destroyed a total of 18 structures in both Orange and Riverside Counties.

Evacuation areas

On August 13, the neighborhoods under mandatory evacuation included: *Blue Jay * El Cariso *Glen Eden (Corona) *Holy Jim Canyon *Indian Canyon (Corona) *Sycamore Creek (Corona) *Horsethief Canyon (Corona) *Mayhew Canyon (Corona) * Rancho Capistrano *

As of August 13, neighborhoods under voluntary evacuation included: * Trilogy (Temescal Valley)

Arson

The fire was allegedly started by 51-year-old Forrest Gordon Clark, who ignited it near a cabin owned by Clark in the Holy Jim Canyon community. He was arrested on August 8, 2018, and booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize, and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest. Two weeks before the fire started, Clark reportedly sent a message to Mike Milligan, the volunteer fire chief of Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department, reading "This place is going to burn." However, Clark later claimed he was asleep at the time the fire started. Clark’s bail was set for $1 million.

Court appearances and acquittal

On August 10, 2018, Forrest Gordon Clark made his first court appearance. He was originally scheduled to appear on August 9, 2018. However, he refused to leave his jail cell. He was due back in court on August 17, 2018. On August 17, when he appeared for the second time, which was the third attempt for his court hearing, Clark’s erratic behavior caused a judge to stop the normal proceedings. The charges were subsequently suspended so Clark’s mental health and competency could be examined. Two examinations were submitted before his next court appearance on October 10, 2018. A third, "tie-breaking" examination was ordered after competing examinations were submitted. On November 28, 2018, Clark was ruled competent to assist attorneys in his defense, and the resisting arrest charges were subsequently dropped. On December 12, 2018, Clark pled not guilty to the remaining charges. On February 10, 2021, a request to lower Clark's bail was denied by a judge. The judge stated that the rejection stemmed from a concern for public safety. On June 1, 2023, Forrest Clark was found not guilty of all arson charges.Emery, Sean (June 1, 2023). "Man acquitted of igniting massive Holy fire" https://www.ocregister.com/2023/06/01/man-acquitted-of-igniting-massive-holy-fire/. The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 1, 2023.

Growth and containment

Growth and Containment

References

External links

Holy Fire
(InciWeb) {{2018 wildfires 2018 California wildfires 2018 crimes in California California wildfires caused by arson August 2018 crimes in the United States September 2018 crimes in the United States Arson in 2018 Cleveland National Forest