Arrest made as Gann fire burns more than 9,300 acres in California foothills

Darrell Smith and Andrew Graham, The Sacramento Bee on Aug 5, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cal Fire has arrested a Valley Springs man on suspicion of starting the Gann fire, the fast-moving wildfire that has burned more than 9,300 acres in Calaveras County, forced hundreds of evacuations and was 10% contained Wednesday morning.

Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, was arrested Monday evening near the fire’s reported point of origin along Hogan Dam Road, according to Calaveras County booking records. He was booked on suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire that burned structures or forest land and bonded out Tuesday evening, according to jail officials.

Jail officials said Cal Fire was the arresting agency. Cal Fire had not publicly announced the arrest and declined to comment on the investigation to Fox 40. Fox 40 also reported that investigators believe Smith had started the fire Monday, which was his birthday.

Cal Fire in Sacramento told The Sacramento Bee it had no information to release on the arrest and would not confirm whether it or another agency arrested Smith. A Cal Fire spokesperson in Calaveras County did not immediately return a request for comment.

Criminal charges against Smith had not yet been filed in Calaveras Superior Court, clerks there said Wednesday afternoon.

In an interview Wednesday with KCRA 3 in Valley Springs, Smith expressed remorse, saying he did not intentionally start the blaze now nearing 10,000 acres. Smith told KCRA he sawed scraps to earn enough cash for a dinner date with his wife. He said the fire started while he was using the saw.

“I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened,” Smith told the television station. “That was never my intent. I was just out there trying to get some money together, and it turned into this.”

The GannfFire ignited shortly before 5:30 p.m. Monday near Hogan Dam and Gann roads in Valley Springs. As of Wednesday morning, it had burned 7,052 acres and was 10% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Fire crews gained some containment overnight after days of triple-digit heat fueled rapid fire growth through Calaveras County backcountry near New Hogan Lake.

The fire was measured at 9,363 acres by aircraft around 11 a.m. Crews were continuing to strengthen containment lines on Wednesday, officials said.

Residential neighborhood burned into

Tuesday night was calm, with little wind to flame the fire’s growth.

Crews were staged on both the southeast and northern edges of the fire, and two helicopters conducted night operations. On the southeastern edge, firefighters monitored hotspots and cut dozer lines in a residential area along Jaquima Drive, where downed and standing trees continued to burn. The fire had burned through that neighborhood earlier Tuesday afternoon.

Sacramento Bee reporters on the scene saw evidence of properties burned over, and on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the fundraising website GoFundMe provided links to pages raising money for two families who reported losing their homes to the flames.

Cal Fire officials confirmed the fire destroyed structures but said crews were still assessing how many were lost and whether they were homes, outbuildings or other types of structures.

Where is the Gann fire burning?

Much work lay ahead to slow the fire’s rapid spread. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has 1,500 firefighters battling the Gann fire, which ignited just before 5:30 p.m. Monday at Hogan Dam and Gann roads in Valley Springs, triggering mandatory evacuation orders and evacuation warnings.

Firefighters are hoping for help from slightly cooler temperatures and higher humidity Wednesday as they carve fire breaks along the burning edge of the blaze.

The fire is burning in south-central Calaveras County in the foothills beneath San Andreas, the county seat, and New Hogan Lake. The fire is 32 miles northeast of Modesto and 50 miles southeast of Sacramento. The burn area is just east of Lost City and includes Mount Ararat as well as portions of the burn scar from the 2020 Walker fire, which charred 1,455 acres.

Fifty engines, 16 bulldozers and eight water tankers are working alongside 16 crews on the ground; while four helicopters battle the blaze from the air. The helicopters are joined by air tankers from across California, said Cal Fire officials.

FEMA help secured

And crews will get help from Federal Emergency Management Agency grant funds secured Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant makes additional resources available to support firefighting efforts, said the governor’s office in a statement.

“By securing this assistance, we are strengthening our ability to deploy critical firefighting resources, accelerate containment efforts, protect lives and property, and support communities facing ongoing evacuations,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the FEMA grant.

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