A 51-year-old man was arrested Tuesday, accused of arson in connection with the Holy Fire, a fast-moving wildfire that has charred over 6,000 acres in the Cleveland National Forest and advanced into Riverside County. Forrest Clark, 51, who lives in a cabin in the Holy Jim area where the fire started, was booked on suspicion of two counts of felony arson, one felony count of threat to terrorize and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. The fire, which has sent smoke into our Morongo Basin, started about 1:15 p.m. Monday near Holy Jim Canyon and Trabuco Creek Road. Morongo Basin firefighters responded to seven calls last night and early this morning that turned out to be false alarms due to residents smelling smoke from the Holy fire. As of this morning, the Holy fire is at 6,200 acres and only 5 percent contained, according to fire officials. Clark is tentatively expected to appear in court today. The Holy Fire is being fed by thick, tinder-dry brush that hasn’t burned in nearly four decades.
