Free Republic

Arson suspect in Holy Fire appears in court (CNN)The man accused of setting a Southern California fire that has burned more than 19,000 acres appeared in court Friday and said, "It's all a lie!" as a judge read the charges against him. Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, did not enter a plea during the brief appearance in an Orange County courtroom. When the judge explained the process further to him, Clark said, "I comprehend. I do not understand though." He is due back in court August 17 for arraignment and bail review. Clark was charged Thursday with aggravated arson and criminal...

...The Holy Fire, which had exploded from 75 to 700 acres within an hour Monday afternoon, was threatening recreation structures in the area of Trabuco Creek and Holy Jim Canyon roads, according to the United State Forest Service. It had consumed more than 1,200 acres by 5:40 p.m., with zero percent containment. At 8:19 p.m., the Cleveland National Forest's official Twitter account said the Holy Fire had grown to 4,000 acres with zero percent containment, meaning the blaze had more than tripled in size in fewer than three hours.

On Tuesday night, a 51-year-old man who lives in a cabin in Holy Jim Canyon was arrested in connection with the fire. Forrest Gordon Clark was taken into custody of O.C. Sheriff’s deputies after he allegedly sent an email last week which read, “this place will burn,” according to the Orange County Register. Of the 14 cabins in Clark’s area, his is the only one that was not destroyed, the Register reports. He was arrested on two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest. He was scheduled to appear...

Forrest Clark's Facebook page is filled with posts about miracle cancer cures, Qanon, and supposed secret pedophile rings. … Some of the conspiracies Clark posted about were merely goofy, like the Illuminati, ancient aliens, and Flat Earthism. Most recently, he seemed to have bought into Qanon, which some suspect to be a troll on Boomer conservatives. Meanwhile, others were directly related to forest fires and some did veer into extremist territory. For instance, his Facebook activity suggests he was obsessed with the idea of secret pedophile rings—the same idea that led a man to bring an assault rifle to a...