Man charged with igniting small wildfire near Silverado in Cleveland National Forest

A 40-year-old man has been charged with igniting the Williams fire, a 2.75-acre wildfire in the Cleveland National Forest near Silverado Canyon that was quickly extinguished on Sunday.

Jeremy Ryan Shaw, 40, is facing a felony count of unlawfully causing a fire in a structure or forest during a state of emergency.

Shaw pleaded not guilty to the charge during a hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 5, court records show.

Fire investigators contacted Shaw the day of the blaze, since it began on his property, said Colleen Windsor, an Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman.

Shaw told the investigators that he had been trying to get rid of some wood fencing, had placed hot wood embers into a wheelbarrow, and then dumped the embers into some brush, Windsor said.

The wildfire – named the Williams fire due to its location in Williams Canyon – broke out shortly after noon on Sunday.

More than 10 engines and brush rigs, aided by water drops from helicopters, brought the wildfire under control within an hour. No injuries or evacuations were reported.

The fire followed a week of strong winds, red flag warnings and wildfires throughout Southern California.

According to court records, Shaw was already on probation after pleading guilty in 2017 to battery, making criminal threats and violating a protective order.

Shaw is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 14 for a bail review hearing. He is being held in Orange County jail in lieu of $65,000 bail, Orange County Sheriff’s Department records show.