Professor Accused Of Igniting Multiple Wildfires

A Northern California college professor has been arrested and charged with arson. Forty-seven-year-old Gary Maynard reportedly worked at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State, where he's said to be a specialist in teaching about cults and deviant behavior. The Sacramento Bee reports Maynard is accused of deliberately starting the so-called Ranch Fire in Lassen County last Saturday. He's also suspected of igniting several blazes near Lassen National Forest and Shasta Trinity National Forest, not far from the raging Dixie Fire that has destroyed nearly 500-thousand acres. Prosecutors say Maynard entered the evacuation zone and started lighting fires behind firefighters who were battling the Dixie Fire. Maynard remains in custody, under a judge's order.