A Santa Clarita man who allegedly threw a cigarette onto fireworks behind his home faces up to 20 years in federal prison in connection with the Bouquet Fire.
Federal prosecutors charged Rodney Ameile Saba, 70, on Friday, Oct. 9, with arson involving federal property, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. The blaze burned approximately 1,048 acres of the Angeles National Forest after igniting behind Saba's residence on Bouquet Canyon Road on Oct. 3 at about 2:13 p.m.
According to the federal complaint, Saba admitted to law enforcement that he threw a cigarette from his porch onto fireworks, causing them to explode and start the fire. Moments before the blaze broke out, Saba allegedly warned a neighbor to expect a loud sound like a shotgun blast. Witnesses then heard a powerful explosion, followed by Saba yelling for help as flames spread rapidly up the hillside.
Investigators recovered a lighter, cigarettes, shotgun ammunition and an aerial mortar firework from Saba's cabin, the complaint states.
U.S. Forest Service fire investigators determined the fire was probably caused by fireworks after ruling out lightning, campfires, debris burning and other potential ignition sources, according to prosecutors.
The fire triggered evacuation orders across Bouquet Canyon during a heat wave gripping Los Angeles County, as Spectrum News reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued Level 3 (Go) evacuation orders for multiple zones as the fire grew to more than 700 acres on Oct. 3.
Local law enforcement arrested Saba on related state charges the day the fire broke out. The federal complaint, filed six days later, carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. The nature of the state charges has not been publicly detailed.
The complaint also alleges Saba has multiple prior felony convictions, including mayhem, vandalism, possession of a controlled substance, criminal threats, manufacture or possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Saba is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A criminal complaint is an allegation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Sloan Kelly and Brenda N. Galván are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Forest Service investigated with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Arson Explosives Detail. Saba is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, though no date has been announced.
