Man who drove truck missing front tire suspected of sparking wildfire in Sonoma County
The Flora Fire, east of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. July 24, 2024. Photo courtesy Cal Fire LNU.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - A 44-year-old man who reportedly drove a truck for more than four miles without a right front tire is suspected of sparking a blaze that burned 36 acres in Sonoma County this week, authorities said Thursday.
Justin Roy Jones was arrested in connection with the Flora Fire, which started about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday in an area east of Healdsburg, Cal Fire officials said.
The fire was reported near the 12000 block of Chalk Hill Road, where Jones was seen driving his truck without a right front tire for over four miles, creating sparks as the truck grinded on the asphalt, authorities said.
"This caused three separate fires along Chalk Hill Road, threatening multiple structures and burned 36 acres," Cal Fire said in a news release on Thursday.
As of Thursday evening the fire was 75 percent contained.
Jones, a resident of Anderson in Shasta County, was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire to any structure, forestland or property, and violating terms of his probation.