EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — The father and son who were arrested in connection to the Caldor Fire, which one California's most devastating wildfires of the 2021 season that burned more than 200,000 acres in El Dorado and Amador counties, appeared in court for the first time on Friday.
The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office said 66-year-old David Scott Smith and 32-year-old Travis Shane Smith were accused of reckless arson in connection to the Caldor Fire. Both men pled not guilty and only spoke to waive their right to a speedy preliminary hearing.
Linda Parisi, David Scott Smith's attorney, said pushed back against the accusations by saying that both men called law enforcement and cooperated with their investigation after observing the Caldor Fire burn.
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"As you know in this area, sometimes service isn't so good, it kept dropping the calls," Parisi said. "They kept calling back, making sure, hey, there's a fire. Do something about it. Notified other people. That's not the conduct of someone who's behaving recklessly."
It is not clear how the Caldor Fire started.
Parisi said both David Scott Smith and Travis Smith are from the area who love their community.
About 1,003 buildings were destroyed and 81 others were damaged from the Caldor Fire, according to Cal Fire's recent update. About 16 firefighters and two civilians were injured.
Gallery: Caldor Fire smoke, flames, and destruction
Katherine Carrillo, whose daughter's school burned down, told ABC10 the community is looking for answers.
"I want to hear what they were doing, was it accident or intentional," Carrillo said. "If they did call the police, I'm just curious why it wasn't put out sooner and why it got to the lengths it did."
Both David Smith and Travis Smith will be back in court on Monday. They are both on a $1 million jail bond.
