Meet Freddie Smoke: Pot Farmer Accused Of Starting California Wildfire

A Sacramento, California, man has been arrested on charges of starting a devastating wildfire currently burning through parts of Northern California.

Reuters reports that officers from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection arrested Freddie Alexander Smoke III on Friday on felony charges of recklessly starting a fire and illegal marijuana cultivation. Authorities removed around 180 marijuana plants from the man's pot farm, located near the village of Igo in far Northern California.

Smoke accidentally started the blaze, now known as the “Bully Fire,” while taking care of his marijuana farm, said Calfire spokesman Daniel Berlant. Berlant said exhaust from a truck Smoke drove around the farm is believed to have ignited a patch of dry grass. California is suffering an extreme drought, its worst in decades.

The fire has since expanded into a large blaze that has led to the evacuation of several homes in Igo and burned around 3,700 acres in the area. Fire officials say the fire is 10 percent contained, and Berlant warned that it could grow in the coming day.