Man accused of sparking North Bay fire by driving on wheel rim

A man from Shasta County was arrested on suspicion of speaking a North Bay wildfire by driving more than four miles on a tire-less wheel, grinding speaks on the asphalt the whole way, authorities said.

The Flora Fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in Sonoma County on Chalk Hill Road east of Healdsburg and northeast of Windsor, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters stopped the fire’s spread that evening, halting its burn footprint at 36 acres; no injuries or serious damage were reported.

Also that evening, authorities arrested Justin Roy Jones, 44, of Anderson, on suspicion of starting the fire. He was reportedly seen driving a truck without a right-front tire, “creating sparks as the truck grinded on the asphalt,” Cal Fire wrote in a news release.

The sparks ignited three fires along Chalk Hill Road, Cal Fire said.

Jones was booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire, and for an unspecified probation violation, authorities said. Jail records show that he was no longer in custody as of Sunday afternoon.