San Luis Obispo County prosecutors have filed charges against a Santa Margarita-area man for allegedly starting the Hill Fire last June that destroyed three homes.
David Lynn Macagni, 75, was charged with a misdemeanor count of “recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest” by the SLO County District Attorney’s Office, based on an investigation by the state Department of Forestry.
A vehicle allegedly caused the fire on June 26, according to Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth. It then torched 1,642 acres of rural Santa Margarita and injured a firefighter.
Macagni, a registered sex offender, faces up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for the offense. Macagni is listed by the county assessor as the owner of property on Parkhill Road—close to where the Hill Fire started.
New Times could not obtain the state’s fire investigation report by press time. Δ
This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 4, 2018.