Arson charges filed after arrest in Oak Fire in Mariposa. ‘A step toward justice’
The investigation into the cause of Mariposa’s Oak Fire started the same day as the blaze itself.
And it hasn’t stopped.
“That investigation was daily — hours turned into weeks; weeks into months,” Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said during a news conference Tuesday announcing formal arson charges in the case.
Last week, 71-year-old Edward Frederick Wackerman was arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of igniting the fire, which last summer caused $8.3 million in property damages and cost Cal Fire more than $100 million to fight. On Tuesday, the Mariposa County District Attorney’s Office filed four charges against Wakerman: one count of aggravated arson and three other forest-land felonies.
If convicted, they carry a maximum life sentence, the DA said.
An arraignment date has not set but will happen soon.
New details on Oak Fire cause
According to investigators, there was a series of three separate fires set in the Carson’s Road area of Marisposa County in July 2022 in the days leading up to the Oak Fire.
A fourth fire was set in the dry forest brush of that same area on July 22.
Officials haven’t said exactly how the fires were started, if there was a motive behind the arson, or what evidence they have linking Wakerman to the blaze.
They also are not releasing much information on the suspect himself, other than his age and that he is a longtime resident of Maripsoa.
Briese said he had promised to bring in every available resource to help find answers for the community and the victims of the fire. The charges against Wakerman are a testament to that promise.
“This is a step toward justice,” Briese said.
Most devastating fire in Mariposa history
The Oak Fire was not the largest wildlfire in Mariposa County, but it was one of the most devastating, according to Merced County Fire Chief Mike van Loben Sels.
The fast-moving fire burned 19,244 acres over several weeks and spread into the Sierra Nevada foothills. It destroyed 127 residences and dozens of outbuildings, prompting evacuations and an emergency declaration from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
At its height, more than 2,000 firefighters battled the flames.
