Jury convicts man of arson for 2022 Electra Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties
A jury last week found a man guilty of arson for starting the Electra Fire, which burned over 4,400 acres in July 2022 and threatened more than 1,200 structures in Amador and Calaveras counties.
Along with the felony arson charge, Danny Killion, 39, was convicted of three counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit announced in a news release.
Cal Fire officials said the child endangerment charges stemmed from Killion’s children, who were with him in a vehicle when he started the wildfire.
The Electra Fire started July 4, 2022, prompting widespread evacuation orders and temporarily trapping around 100 people in a PG&E powerhouse. The wildfire died down two days later, with officials lifting evacuation orders.
The fire burned in a canyon next to the North Fork of the Mokelumne River. Firefighters were able to stop the flames from spreading to populated areas outside of the canyon.
Around 8,000 households in Amador and Calaveras counties were without power for some time as lines had been de-energized around the blaze, according to PG&E.
Cal Fire said the Electra Fire was ignited in Amador County and spread to Calaveras County, burning a total of 4,470 acres. The wildfire threatened 1,2117 structures in the first few days and continued to burn for nearly a month, before firefighters fully contained the blaze on July 28, 2022. No structures were destroyed or damaged by the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
Killion was arrested in August in the area of Shanghai Bend near the Feather River in Yuba City.
Cal Fire officials said on Friday that Killion was homeless at the time of the fire. The state firefighting agency did not provide any additional details on how the Electra Fire was started.
On Monday, Killion remained in custody at the Amador County Jail. Amador Superior Court records show Killion is scheduled to be sentenced April 18.
