--- description: Brandon McGlover pleaded guilty to intentionally starting the fire in Riverside County, California title: California Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Starting Fire image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt646b71f4baf5c09c/69894534e76ad2bc236342c6/gettyimages-1005693812.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Crime](/tag/crime/) ## Crime Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A California Man Has Been Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Starting the Cranston Fire by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 15, 2019 5:35 AM CUT  Firefighters work as the Cranston Fire burns in San Bernardino National Forest near Idyllwild, Calif., on July 26, 2018. Firefighters work as the Cranston Fire burns in San Bernardino National Forest near Idyllwild, Calif., on July 26, 2018.Mario Tama—Getty Images by [Hillary Leung](/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 15, 2019 5:35 AM CUT A California man was [sentenced](https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/us/california-cranston-fire-guilty-plea/index.html "undefined") to more than 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to starting last summer’s Cranston Fire, CNN reports. Brandon McGlover, 33, of Temecula, was convicted on two counts of burning of a structure or forest land, according to a [news release](http://rivcoda.org/opencms/system/galleries/download/daReleases/NEWS%5FRELEASE%5F--%5FArsonist%5Fwho%5Fstarted%5FCranston%5FFire%5Flast%5FJuly%5Fpleads%5Fguilty%5Fand%5Fis%5Fsentenced.pdf "undefined") from the Riverside County District Attorney. The fire, which began on July 25, 2018, consumed more than 13,000 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest area near Idyllwild, east of Los Angeles. At least five homes were [destroyed](https://ktla.com/2019/02/14/man-pleads-guilty-to-arson-in-cranston-fire-that-destroyed-idyllwild-homes-ordered-to-pay-victims/ "undefined") and around 6,000 people were forced to [evacuate](https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2018/07/26/cranston-fire-continues-idyllwild-residents-discuss-evacuations/842180002/ "undefined"). McGlover will serve the maximum sentence of 12 years and four months in state prison, prosecutors said, and has also been ordered to pay restitution to victims. He was initially charged with starting nine separate blazes on July 25\. The charges were amended as they “required proving to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that he had a specific intent to burn structures, which the evidence in the case does not support,” the release says. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/"},"headline":"A California Man Has Been Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Starting the Cranston Fire","datePublished":"2019-02-15T05:35:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:46:47.269Z","description":"Brandon McGlover, 33, was convicted on two counts of burning of a structure or forest land","url":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/","keywords":["Crime","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt646b71f4baf5c09c/69894534e76ad2bc236342c6/gettyimages-1005693812.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Hillary Leung","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/hillary-leung/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt646b71f4baf5c09c/69894534e76ad2bc236342c6/gettyimages-1005693812.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Rapidly Spreading Cranston Fire Scorches Over 4000 Acres In Southern California","caption":"Rapidly Spreading Cranston Fire Scorches Over 4000 Acres In Southern California","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/crime/","name":"Crime"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/","name":"A California Man Has Been Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Starting the Cranston Fire"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Arson Suspect Arrested as Wildfire Burns 4,700 Acres in Southern California","description":"A man has been charged with setting a wildfire near Los Angeles that burned 4,700 acres, five homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1dPAf44c/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-07-26T14:33:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1dPAf44c.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5530293/california-brandon-mcglover-sentenced-cranston-fire/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```