Tuolumne County hunter indicted for starting the Rim Fire; Faces jail time and fines

One of the largest fires in California history, as well as being one of the costliest, was started by an illegal campfire started by a bow hunter according to a federal grand jury indictment returned Thursday.

Keith Matthew Emerald, 32, of Columbia, CA, is charged with starting the fire in the Stanislaus National Forest and allowing the fire to spread beyond his control. When the Rim Fire started there were fire restrictions in place that At the time of the fire, temporary fire restrictions were in place that prohibited fires. In addition, Emerald is charged with lying to a federal agent when he told them that he did not set the fire.

Last summer's Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest burned more than 250,000 acres and cost over $125M to fight.

According to court documents, Emerald was rescued by helicopter from the extremely remote Clavey River Canyon area of the Stanislaus National Forest near the origin of the Rim Fire about an hour after the fire was reported. Emerald was carrying bow hunting equipment with him and advised authorities that he had been on a solo hunting trip.

Emerald is expected to appear soon federal court in Fresno. If convicted of setting timber afire or false statements to a government agency, Emerald faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. Leaving a fire unattended and violating a fire restriction order each carry a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Wagner stated: “The Rim Fire was one of the largest in California history and caused tremendous economic and environmental harm. While those harms cannot be undone, today we have brought criminal charges relating to the cause of that fire. I want to commend the Forest Service agents for their diligent and extensive investigation.”