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2 Men Plead No Contest to 'recklessly starting' 2007 Malibu Fire
The 2007 Malibu Corral Canyon fire tore through 4,900 acres of land, destroyed over 50 homes, and left 6 firefighters injured. Today, the two men who are responsible for igniting the blaze pleaded no contest to charges of " recklessly starting a fire causing injury and causing an inhabited structure to burn," according to the LA Times.
24-year-old Brian Alan Anderson and 26-year-old William Thomas Coppock were part of a group of five men who started an illegal campfire in an area of the Canyon reputed to be a place for party-type gatherings. Anderson and Coppock are considered "more culpable than others because they kicked burning pieces of wood and a pillow or pillowcase out of the cave, where the fire, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, quickly spread out of control."
Two other participants have pending felony charges, while the fifth "pleaded no contest in 2008 and was sentenced to five years' probation and 300 hours of community service." Further, he "testified against Anderson and Coppock at a preliminary hearing."
Anderson and Coppock could be sentenced to "a minimum of one year in county jail, probation and community service, and a maximum of four years in state prison," for their role in the fire.
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