Accused arsonist arrested after small blaze near Paradise. ‘Fire season is approaching’

A man accused of setting off a small blaze Wednesday in Magalia, about 4 miles from Paradise in Butte County, was arrested as authorities warned wildfire season is approaching.

A captain with Cal Fire was stopped by residents about 1:30 p.m. while driving on Skyway near the Coutolenc Road in Magalia, largely laid to waste along with Paradise in California’s deadliest conflagration, the Camp Fire.

The residents had extinguished the flames and saw a person walking away from the scene, Cal Fire said. The fire was contained to a “small spot of vegetation,” Cal Fire said.

Butte County sheriff’s deputies stopped a man about half a mile away. He was arrested on suspicion of arson and was being held on $75,000 bail in Butte County Jail.

Anyone with information about this case or other suspicious fires is asked to call the arson hotline at 800-468-4408.

Firefighters warned that even a small fire can turn into an untamed blaze as summer approaches.

“As the ground dries out and temperatures rise, the chance of a fire becoming large and destructive will continue to grow,” Cal Fire said in a statement. “We urge the public to remain alert to the dangers of wildfire and be on the lookout for suspicious activity.”