Former firefighter, 29, arrested for 'starting massive California blaze that killed man, 55, and destroyed 60 homes'

Zane Peterson was arrested on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to starting the deadly fire in Igo, California as he appeared in court on Wednesday



September 9 blaze burned 8,073 acres, threatened more than 500 homes and took 1,500 firefighters to bring it under control

Authorities have not provided a motive but Peterson has also been accused of starting six other fires in recent months

Peterson, who left the fire service in 2012, faces 71 charges including murder



Arrest: Zane Peterson, 29, allegedly deliberately started a fire that killed a man, 55, in September

A former firefighter deliberately started a massive fire in California that killed one person and destroyed 60 homes, authorities have said.

Zane Wallace Peterson, 29, of Happy Valley, was arrested on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to starting the September 9 Clover Fire as he appeared in Shasta County Superior Court on Wednesday.

More than 1,500 firefighters responded to the massive blaze in Igo, which spread quickly across the dry land and burned 8,073 acres, destroyed 60 homes and threatened more than 500 others.

It took firefighters seven days to bring it under control at a massive cost of $7.3 million.

The total damages are estimated to be $65 million, according to the judge on Wednesday.



While authorities have not indicated Peterson's motive in starting the fires, he has also been charged with starting six vegetation fires in the area in recent months.



Peterson was taken into custody at his parents' home on suspicion of murder and arson, Captain Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told Reuters.

His arrest came after a three-month investigation.

Denial: He appeared in Shasta County Superior Court in Redding on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty

'This is still an ongoing case,' Captain Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. 'There's still more work to be done on our part to make sure this comes to a positive conclusion.'



As Peterson appeared in court on Wednesday, the hearing was attended by Chelsea Henry, the daughter of 55-year-old Brian Henry, who died in the fire.

She was visibly shaken and clasping a photograph of her with her father fishing together when she was a little girl, the Redding Record Searchlight reported.

Although there had been claims that her father had failed to evacuate when he had been told to do so, she refuted this, and said he was protecting the nieghborhood's homes.

'God put me here to help others, kid,' she said her father, a former forestry firefighter, would always say. 'He lived that way all his life.'



Fire: The September blaze took seven days to bring under control and caused damaged worth $65 million

Under control: The fire claimed 60 homes and the life of a 55-year-old man after it began in Happy Valley

Peterson worked as a forestry technician and fire engine operator with the Mendocino National Forest between May 2005 and October 2012, Forest Service spokeswoman Brenda Kendrix said.



In total he faces 71 charges in connection with the blaze; he faces up to 25 years in prison for the murder charge and 90 years behind bars for multiple arson charges.

He will return to court on January 2 to set a preliminary hearing date.

'Arson is a serious crime that threatens the public, our communities and the environment,' said Region Chief Doug Wenham.