DA drops case against man accused of starting fire that destroyed ‘Big Bang’ actor’s home
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office has dropped its criminal case against a man alleged to have accidentally caused the Hill Fire near Santa Margarita in June 2017.
The fire burned about 1,600 acres just outside the small North County community between Parkhill and Huer Huero Road, and destroyed four homes, including one owned by “The Big Bang Theory” actor Johnny Galecki.
Following the fire, Cal Fire announced that the agency’s preliminary findings indicated the Hill Fire was unintentionally started by a vehicle fire that spread to nearby vegetation.
In January 2019, the county District Attorney’s Office filed a single misdemeanor charge of recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest against David Lynn Macagni, 75, who lives on Parkhill Road.
Macagni is listed on Megan’s Law sex offender registry for a 1964 felony offense involving a child under 14.
The misdemeanor charge would have carried a sentence of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Court records do not say how much monetary damage the Hill Fire caused.
Macagni was scheduled to begin trial next week, but at a readiness conference Wednesday, the prosecutor in the case motioned the court to dismiss the case due to insufficient evidence, according to court records.
A District Attorney’s Office spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the case.
The Hill Fire broke out June 26, 2017, near Parkhill Road and Rue de Leon and quickly swept across the dry brush, burning about 1,200 acres by the next morning.
By the time it was extinguished three days later, the fire had destroyed four structures. Those included the ranch home of Galecki, who played Dr. Leonard Hofstadter on “The Big Bang Theory” and was a regular cast member on the sitcom “Roseanne.”
Despite the loss, Galecki posted a picture on Instagram thanking Cal Fire firefighters for their service. The actor announced in 2019 that he was selling the property.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 6:02 PM.