LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three men charged with causing a Los Angeles-area wildfire that burned five homes must stay in jail.
City News Service says a federal judge decided Wednesday to keep Clifford Henry Jr., Steven Aguirre and Jonathan Jarrell in custody until a Friday court hearing.
Attorneys for Henry and Jarrell declined immediate comment. A call to Aguirre’s lawyer wasn’t immediately returned.
Prosecutors say the men illegally made a campfire last week in the Angeles National Forest during a period of Santa Ana winds and extreme fire danger.
Authorities say the men told investigators a wind gust blew burning paper into some brush. The resulting 3-square-mile conflagration destroyed five houses, damaged 17 homes and other buildings and forced thousands to evacuate Glendora and Azusa.
It’s 98 percent contained Wednesday.
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