Kathe Tanner
The Fresno Bee
(MCT)
The Fresno man found guilty ofstarting the devastating Dolan Firenear Big Sur will serve 24 years in state prison, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Ivan Gomez, 31, was sentenced Wednesday in Monterey County Superior Court in connection to the 2020 blaze thatseriously injured a firefighter, destroyed multiple homes and killed several California condors, the agency said in a news release.
Gomez was found guilty April 7 of 16 felony charges, including arson.
On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Pamela Butler sentenced Gomez to nine years for the arson causing serious injury to U.S. Forest Service Fire Capt. Casey Allen with an additional 5-year enhancement for destroying 14 structures, including 10 residences.
Gomez must also serve consecutive sentences for each of the additional charges — arson in Los Padres National Forest, throwing rocks at a vehicle, cultivating marijuana and 12 counts of cruelty to animals.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, California State Parks rangers saw a fire cresting the ridgeline at about 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2020.
“At approximately the same time,” the agency said its release, “officers were dispatched to a man throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 1 and the Lime Creek Bridge.”
When officers contacted the man, later identified as Gomez, “he stated he had started the fire at an illegal marijuana grow on the other side of the ridge and killed five men,” the release said.
The Forest Service’s fire investigation team eventually confirmed that the wildfire originated at the grow site.
That proved to be essential evidence in thetrial against Gomez, which concluded with a guilty verdict last month.
The Dolan Fire scorched a total of 124,924 acres.
It cost nearly $63 million to fight the wildfire, which was officially contained on Dec. 31, 2020.
The Dolan Fire destroyed 10 residences and four other structures, and damaged multiple condor nesting structures — killing 12 condors.
Several firefighters were wounded while battling the massive blaze, including Allen.
Allen, who lives in Pismo Beach, wasn’t immediately available for comment Wednesday afternoon.
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