Man arrested on suspicion of starting Tiger Fire, California fire officials say
A 37-year-old man was arrested and will be charged in connection with the Tiger Fire that burned 118 acres and forced evacuations in Amador County last summer.
The resident of Pine Grove was booked into the Amador County Jail after prosecutors filed a felony complaint accusing him of starting the August 2025 wildfire near Pioneer, according to Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado Unit and the Amador County District Attorney’s Office.
The suspect was scheduled to be arraigned Monday on three charges: arson causing bodily injury, arson of a structure or forest, and arson of property of another.
The Tiger Fire burned 118 acres in Amador County over approximately 44 hours in August 2025 and caused mandatory evacuations for residents as fire personnel battled the blaze.
Cal Fire determined the fire’s origin was along Tiger Creek Road in the Pioneer area. Investigators found a lighter near the scene, according to the DA’s Office.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas including Tiger Creek Road, Stephanie Way, Black Prince Road East and Black Prince Road. Forward progress was halted within two days, according to previous Bee reporting.
No structures were damaged or destroyed, according to Cal Fire. During the firefighting response, however, a woman was seriously injured, prosecutors said. Authorities did not release details about how the injury occurred.
Following what the DA’s Office described as a lengthy investigation by Cal Fire, prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant for the man, who was taken into custody by law enforcement officers from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and Amador County Sheriff’s Office.
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
