2 sentenced to prison for starting Colby Fire

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two men were sentenced to federal prison Monday for lighting an illegal camp fire that caused the Colby Fire in January.

Glendora resident Clifford Henry Jr., 22, received six months in federal prison; Baldwin Park resident Steven Robert Aguirre, 21, received five months in federal prison. Both men were also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Henry and Aguirre were tried together in May. Each was found guilty of one felony and three misdemeanors, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. At Monday's hearing, one misdemeanor charge was dismissed.

A third man, Jonathan Carl Jarrell, has already been found guilty of a felony and a misdemeanor of illegally setting a fire. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

The Colby Fire burned 1,700 acres of federal, state, local and private lands and destroyed six residences, damaged eight other residences and 17 additional structures.

Henry and Aguirre were seen fleeing from the area where the fire originated and were arrested by Glendora police officers on January 16. Both men admitted their roles in starting an illegal camp fire. Wind blew burning paper into nearby brush, sparking the brush fire in the hills above Glendora. Santa Ana winds then blew the fire into residential areas. The camp fire was determined to have been set on federal lands within the Angeles National Forest, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

One civilian and two firefighters were injured in the fire.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said damages and costs exceed $6 million.