Woman charged with starting fire that burned 63,000 acres in California

A woman has been charged with starting a fire in 2018 that burned 63,000 acres of land in California.

Cynthia Ann Leroux was arrested on Wednesday in her home for starting the Delta Fire back on Sep. 5 in 2018 that destroyed dozens of buildings and injured two people, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie A. Bridgett said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Leroux also set an additional two fires, one in December of 2018 and one in March of 2020.

She is facing 20 felony charges with two counts of arson of forest land causing great bodily injury, two charges relating to the fires set in December and March and 16 charges for the destruction of structures, according to Bridgett.

Leroux could be facing more than 50 years in prison with the charges.

Leroux started the fire when California was under a state of emergency and caused disruptions to the economy since Interstate 5 and Union Pacific Railroad had to be closed for multiple days, officials said.

The arrest comes as California is preparing for another bad fire season.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a $536 billion funding plan in April for forest management and fire prevention protections.

In April, California marked the period from October to March as its third-driest water year, adding to concerns of a potentially bad fire season.