Labor Day Weekend to Bring Extreme Heat and Fire Risk; Arson Suspect Arrested in Aug. 22 Berry Fire

With a punishing statewide heat wave looming over the Labor Day holiday, firefighters are on high alert to extinguish wildfires via ground and air assault—as they did with an Aug. 22 Sierra County fire in which a suspect is facing arson charges.

The extreme heat this weekend is projected to be the highest of the year, peaking Sunday and Monday with temperatures of 110 or more in the valley and even reaching the century mark in higher elevations. “Our staffing levels will be high,” Tahoe National Forest Public (TNF) Information Office Adam Collins-Torruella told The Mountain Messenger, noting that a helicopter crew from Idaho is providing “invaluable“ assistance. “We are remaining vigilant.”

Vigilance and follow-up investigatory work were key in the quick suppression of the Aug. 22 Berry Fire near Berry Creek southwest of Sattley, and the Aug. 23 arrest of a Placer County man on arson charges in connection with the fire.

The Berry fire was comprised of two small fires 100 yards apart. According to a TNF Facebook post, “U.S. Forest Service aerial and ground fire resources [took] swift suppression action combining helicopter bucket work and progressive hose lay around the entire perimeters of the fires to stop progression [in its .2 acre] footprint.”

The Forest Service determined the cause of the Berry Fire to be suspicious. The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office assumed the lead in the investigation, and assisted by TNF and CAL FIRE investigators, collected evidence and interviewed witnesses.

Dillon Schneider, an Auburn-area resident working as a water truck driver for a logging company in the area where the fire began, was identified as a person of interest. A search warrant was served upon Schneider’s Placer County residence. “During the investigation, we recovered firearms, ammunition, stolen fire equipment, and additional incendiary devices,” Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher told The Messenger. Fisher noted that as a convicted felon, Schneider is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Schneider, 25, was taken into custody on Aug. 23, the day after the Berry Fire. At press time, the accused is being held in the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility, the Nevada County jail, with bail set at $500,000.

Schneider is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on the charges on Sept. 8 at the Sierra County Superior Court in Downieville.

That the slightest spark can ignite a wildfire was underscored on Aug. 29 when firefighters quickly stopped the forward progression of the Lake Fire on the southeast side of Boca Reservoir in TNF’s Truckee Ranger District. Steel-jacketed bullets were found where the fire began, “pointing to the origin being target shooting,” said TNF’s Collins-Torruella. “It just takes one spark” when bullets hit a rock, he said.

Collins-Torruella urged target shooters to “be aware of your surroundings. If there’s flammable dead grass behind your target, it’s probably not the best place to be shooting. We hope that individuals [engaging] in target shooting will do so responsibly.”

What advice does Sheriff Fisher have for residents for the upcoming of extreme fire risk?

“Use common sense and don’t do activities that could possibly ignite a fire.”