Father and son arrested on suspicion of starting Caldor fire

A father and son have been arrested on suspicion of starting a massive blaze that tore through northern California earlier this year.

But David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, were poised to dispute accusations of "reckless arson" related to the Caldor Fire.

They are being held on $1m (£760,000) bail and have not yet been charged.

The Caldor scorched more than 220,000 acres over two months.

It grew to become the 15th largest fire ever recorded in California, razing over 1,000 structures, injuring five people and forcing thousands to flee before it was contained in October.

After their arrest on Wednesday, Mark Reichel, attorney for the Smiths, told The New York Times that the pair were baffled by the suggestion that they were responsible for the fire.

They had been in Eldorado National Forest this past summer when they spotted a fire, Mr Reichel said. They tried to call 911 but could not find signal.

"As we sit here tonight, we have no idea what the prosecution's theory is on how the fire started," he told the newspaper.

The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office did not provide details about what the men were accused of having done. The Smiths were arrested on a "Ramey warrant", which is when someone is taken into custody before charges are filed.

In a statement, the DA's office said they were accused of violating a section of state law commonly referred to as "reckless arson", which caused inhabited buildings to burn and resulted in great bodily injury to multiple victims.

"About 95% of fires are human caused", said Nick Schuler of Cal Fire, California's biggest fire agency. "That doesn't mean intentionally caused."

Dry, hot weather has left conditions "so critical" that person driving home from a camping trip pulling a trailer along a roadway could cause "dozens" of fire, Mr Schuler told the BBC.

In California, about 10% of wildfires are set intentionally, according to the agency.

Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.