Tuolumne County District Attorney Charges Dove Fire Suspect With Arson
A man has been charged with arson after he was accused of recklessly causing the Dove Fire near Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne County district attorney announced Wednesday.
Jacob Williams Hoskins, 30, of Sonora, was arrested Sunday in Tuolumne County, about 60 miles east of Stockton, after he was linked to the vegetation fire that burned 225 acres over the weekend.
The Dove Fire broke out just before 3 p.m. Sunday southwest of Sonora, prompting evacuations and road closures. Crews were able to halt forward spread Sunday afternoon, and as of Wednesday morning, the blaze is 55% contained.
The Dove Fire ignited less than a week after the Little Fire burned more than 1,000 acres in Alameda County, as dry, hot summer conditions set in across Northern California.
The Bay Area is expected to heat up through the weekend, with temperatures peaking Saturday in the interior East Bay and North Bay, and meteorologists are urging people to be careful not to throw a spark, since fires could spread quickly during the warm spell.
Cal Fire said Hoskin’s arrest in connection to the Tuolumne fire came after an extensive investigation, involving its Tuolumne-Calaveras and Madera-Mariposa-Merced units, as well as the Sonora Police Department and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the county sheriff’s Facebook page, Hoskins was recognized by local law enforcement from images taken of the fire, which showed a suspect wearing a distinctive straw hat.
Two wildland firefighters were injured fighting the blaze. One sustained an ankle injury, while the other experienced symptoms of heat illness, according to Emily Kilgore, a public information officer for Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit. Both were taken for medical evaluations and have been released.
Hoskins will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on charges of arson and recklessly starting a fire, according to Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke.