Guilty verdict for arsonist in 2024 Northern California fire that forced thousands to evacuate

An El Dorado County jury reached a guilty verdict Thursday on all counts for a Placerville man who ignited an approximately 2,000 blaze that prompted thousands of residents to evacuate last year.

Authorities arrested Jason Robinette, 48, in connection to intentionally causing the Crozier Fire. He was convicted of two counts of arson to forest land, according to court records.

The wildfire sparked Aug. 6 northwest of Slate Mountain and eventually burned 1,960 acres, according to Cal Fire. It burned for about two weeks and threatened a few thousand structures, according to Cal Fire and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, which in the early days of the fire issued mandatory evacuation orders.

Cal Fire did not disclose the motive behind setting the fire.

“After completion of the initial investigation, it was determined that the fire was intentionally set,” Cal Fire said in a news release.

Robinette is scheduled to be sentenced March 14, according to court records.