A Yreka man has been arrested for starting a huge hay fire on Sunday in Siskiyou County. A pole barn off Dorris Technor Road in the Macdoel area was about 40 by 200 feet and filled with hay. It completely burned to the ground after being ignited. A witness saw someone flee after starting another fire nearby. The suspect vehicle was intercepted by the CHP and 41-year-old Yang Meng was taken into custody. He’s been booked on three felony counts of arson.
More than 5,000 lightning strikes were detected over the weekend in the Northern Cal-Fire Response Zone. Only five were confirmed to have started fires and they’ve all been extinguished.