Man accused of starting Big Sur fire arrested on suspicion of arson
Update to this story >> >> 2,500-acre fire near Big Sur is 0% contained, leading to Highway 1 and parks closures
Monterey County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man suspected of intentionally setting a wildfire that has burned more than 2,000 acres near Big Sur.
The Dolan Fire started around 8 p.m. Tuesday in John Little State Nature Reserve, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
Ivan Geronimo Gomez, 30, of Fresno was detained near where the fire was determined to have started, according to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
He was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on suspicion of arson of forest lands. Gomez’s bail was set at $2 million.
As of Wednesday morning, the Dolan Fire had reached 2,500 acres, according to a Los Padres National Forest tweet.
Evacuations were issued for the east side of Dolan Caynon, which is south of Slates Hot Springs.
Highway 1 was closed Wednesday from Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Monterey County due to the wildfire, according to Caltrans.
There is no estimated reopening time, according to Caltrans.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office’s Investigations Division at 831-755-3773 or 831-755-3762
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 2:17 PM.
