Caldor Fire arrests: Father, son held on suspicion of sparking wildfire that burned near Tahoe

A father and son have been taken into custody on suspicion of sparking the massive Caldor fire that erupted Aug. 14 near Grizzly Flat in El Dorado County, authorities say.

David Scott Smith, 66, of Somerset, and his son, Travis Shane Smith, 32, of Folsom, are accused of reckless arson in the fire that burned 221,835 acres in El Dorado, Amador and Alpine counties - and forced the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe - before it was finally contained in October, two sources told The Sacramento Bee.

The two were taken into custody on what authorities refer to as a “Ramey warrant” that is issued before criminal charges are formally filed, sources say, and the pair are expected to be charged in El Dorado Superior Court.

Both men were being held in the El Dorado County Jail on Thursday in lieu of $1 million bail, online jail records show. They are scheduled to face arraignment Friday in court in Placerville at 1 p.m.

One source said the pair were in the area riding in a dune buggy when they spotted the fire, and investigators have been probing whether the blaze may have been sparked by target shooting, two sources say.

Sacramento attorney Mark Reichel, who represents both men, said Travis Smith is an electrician who was with his father near the site of the fire’s origin east of Omo Ranch and south of Grizzly Flat and saw the flames, then called 911 to report it.

“There is no reason at all to try to imagine what could have happened out there until actual evidence and theories from the prosecution are presented in a courtroom,” Reichel said. “There is no reason that this person would set a fire unless it was an accident and not intended.

“Obviously, he clearly states that he did not set the fire. He only called it in.”

Reichel said the younger Smith called 911 repeatedly because the call kept dropping in the rugged, remote terrain, and that the men warned other campers they saw of the danger.

“They were persistent in calling 911,” he said. “In fact, they saw others that had been camping and they warned them.”

Investigators from El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson’s office have been probing the case for months along with the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s crime lab, and a number of search warrants have been issued.

The fire largely destroyed the town of Grizzly Flat and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents throughout the Sierra, including South Lake Tahoe and communities along Highway 50 down to Pollock Pines.

The blaze burned actively for 67 days, officials said.

This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Caldor Fire arrests: Father, son held on suspicion of sparking wildfire that burned near Tahoe."