Five young Los Angeles-area men were arrested Thursday on charges of starting a wildfire that swept through Malibu, Calif., gutting dozens of homes.

Investigators say the five suspects appeared to have built an illegal campfire in Corral Canyon during Thanksgiving weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported. The investigators found fire logs, liquor containers and food wrappers in the vicinity.

"They checked store receipts at a Ralphs market in Malibu and found one revealed a possible purchase of the items in question," said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff's office. "With probable cause, they then got a search warrant allowing investigators to retrieve information from the debit card, which authorities believe was used to purchase the items."

Brian Allen Anderson, 22, William Thomas Coppock, 23, Brian David Franks, 27, all of Los Angeles, and Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, and Dean Allen Lavorante, 19, both of Culver City, face charges that include recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure and recklessly causing a fire resulting in serious injury. Because a state of emergency had been declared in the area after the October wildfires they could face sentences of up to 10 years.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 14 December 2007   

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