Father and Son Arrested on Suspicion of Starting the Caldor Fire

The men have not been charged but were arrested in connection with the 15th-largest blaze in California’s recorded history. It burned more than 200,000 acres near Lake Tahoe.

LOS ANGELES — A father and son have been arrested on suspicion of starting the Caldor fire, a huge blaze that burned perilously close to Lake Tahoe this year, sending residents of the resort region fleeing.

The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday that David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, had been accused of “reckless arson” in connection with a wildfire that tore through more than 220,000 acres starting in the middle of August.

The men, who are being held with bail set at $1 million each, have not yet been charged with a crime.