Felony counts in Caldor Fire case include allegation involving machine gun

El Dorado County prosecutors filed felony charges Thursday against the father and son accused of starting the devastating Caldor Fire, including counts charging the son with converting a firearm into a machine gun and possessing a silencer.

Travis Shane Smith, 32, and his father, David Scott Smith, 66, were arrested Wednesday and booked into the El Dorado County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail each. The pair are scheduled to make their first court appearance Friday via a video hookup from the jail.

Sources have told The Sacramento Bee investigators were looking into whether the fire may have been sparked during target practice on Aug. 14, the day the blaze erupted near Grizzly Flat, and one source has said they were driving through the Northern California forest area in a dune buggy.

Several search warrants have been executed in recent months in the case.

The criminal complaint does not directly tie possession of the machine gun to the fire, but alleges that between Aug. 9 and Aug. 14 Travis Smith converted a firearm into a machine gun and that between Aug. 11 and Sept. 23 he and his father possessed a silencer.

Travis Smith also is charged with recklessly causing a fire that injured three individuals, recklessly causing a fire that burned an inhabited structure and recklessly causing a fire that burned forest lands.

The charges include enhancements for injuring emergency personnel, causing multiple structures to burn and committing the offenses during a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom because of the severe drought.

His father faces three felony counts of recklessly causing a fire that burned structures and forestland and caused injuries, as well as enhancements for injuring emergency personnel, causing multiple structures to burn and doing so during the state of emergency.

The blaze burned more than 220,000 acres in El Dorado, Amador and Alpine counties and forced the evacuations of thousands of residents from South Lake Tahoe, Pollock Pines and communities along Highway 50 into the Sierra.

Sacramento attorney Mark Reichel, who represents the pair, said Wednesday that the men did not set the fire and that the younger Smith called 911 repeatedly to report it and warned nearby campers of the danger.

Reichel said he knew nothing about the machine gun or silencer allegation.

“It’s news to me,” he said Thursday.

This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Felony counts in Caldor Fire case include allegation involving machine gun."