DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

California wildfire ‘selfie’ arsonist gets 20 years and a $60 million fine

Apr 11, 2016 by John Aldred 10 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

king_fire

Selfies are just a part of our culture today, whether stills or video, but they have been known to land people in hot water a time or two.  Sometimes the consequences are simply a little embarrassment, sometimes very severe (and rightly so).

In what seems more suited to ridicule on America’s Dumbest Criminals, California resident Wayne Allen Huntsman captured a video selfie with the beginnings of what would become known as the King Fire, a wildfire that scorched over almost 100,000 acres of land in El Dorado County, California in 2014.

The massive wildfire, which started on September 13th, 2014, took out 12 homes and 68 other structures across a little under 100,00o acres, caused at least 12 injuries, required more than 20,000 people to be evacuated from their homes, and lasted for almost a month.

Huntsman was initially arrested only five days after the blaze began on September 18th, 2014, thanks to retired firefighter, Kars Knutsen, who happened to be driving past as Huntsman fled from the initial blaze, who became both his saviour and his demise.

After being saved, Huntsman showed his new friend a selfie video he created shortly after starting the fires he claimed to be escaping from, who recorded a copy from the camera’s screen.

After initially pleading not guilty to starting the fire in 2014, District Attorney, Vern Pierson, announced that Huntsman has now pled guilty to through counts of Arson to Forest Land amongst other charges.

Also of interest is how evidence was gathered to help get the conviction.  As this reenactment video from The Sacramento Bee illustrates about 2 minutes in, quadcopter drones were used to record footage of the areas around the blaze in order to capture vital evidence before it was destroyed by fire.

Huntsman was ordered to pay over $60,000,000 in restitution to the victimes, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the DA Pierson said in a statement.

Hundreds of pine seedlings have since been planted at Stumpy Meadows Lake to help bring the forest back to life.

Maria Mircheva, executive director of the Sugar Pine Foundation, told the Sacramento Bee, “It is a rebirth, and not just devasation”.

The rebirth, however will take some time.  One district ranger estimated that it would take around ten years to reforest 10,000 acres.

Sometimes, selfies prove to be useful for the rest of us, even if not their creator.

[via Bokeh / Sacramento Bee]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

California Paddleboarders Follow Great White Sharks to Get a Selfie FAA proposes an industry record $1.9 million fine against aerial photography drone company Drone catches fire upon landing, causes wildfire across 335 acres Drones Under Fire: Officials Offer $75,000 Reward Leading To Pilots Who Flew Over Wildfire

Filed Under: news Tagged With: California, drone, King Fire, selfie, Wildfire

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« How To Make a DIY UV filter for 2 cents that actually works
Watch as Rankin recreates one of David Bailey’s iconic photographs with Bailey’s help »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • This is how to get photography clients on Instagram – even with few followers
  • “I prefer using smaller cameras” – an unorthodox take on size
  • A pigeon scares a meteorologist as it photobombs a live camera
  • Photographer files lawsuit against NFL receiver and teams after shoving incident
  • Comparing iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 for astrophotography

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy