Man Sentenced To 24 Years For Starting Big Sur Dolan Fire That Caused Nearly $63 Million In Damages

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square California

May 20, 2022

(The Center Square) – Convicted arsonist Ivan Gomez, 31, was sentenced to 24 years in state prison this week, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced. He was found guilty on 16 felony counts, including counts for arson for starting the Big Sur Dolan fire and the fire in the Los Padres National Forest.

The Dolan fire, which burned 124,924 acres, was contained Dec. 31, 2020. The estimated cost of fighting the fire was $62.9 million. Several firefighters were injured fighting it, including a fire captain from the Nacimiento station who sustained serious injuries. The Dolan fire destroyed 14 structures including 10 residences. It also ruined multiple condors' nesting structures, killing 12 condors and injuring several others.

Gomez was found guilty of 16 felony counts, including cultivating marijuana and animal cruelty.

At his trial, the evidence established that on the evening of Aug. 18, 2020, California State Parks officers observed a fire cresting the ridgeline known as “top of the world” in the Los Padres National Forest. Officers were also dispatched to an area where Gomez was found throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 1 and the Lime Creek Bridge.

When questioned by the officers, Gomez said he started the fire where marijuana was being grown illegally and killed five men, according to statements issued by the DA’s office and the California State Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA).

Officers from the U.S. Forest Service then conducted a multi-week investigation and confirmed the origin of the fire. When interviewed by detectives from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Gomez confessed that he started the fire numerous times, according to statements issued by the DA’s office.

Since his arrest in 2020, Gomez had been held in jail on $2 million bail. His attorney argued in court that Gomez “had a history of drug use and might not have had full control of his faculties when he told sheriff’s department detectives he started the fire,” the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Capt. Casey Allen, who is still recovering from his injuries, told the Tribune, “He should be punished for what he did,” referring to Gomez. “But nothing can take away the injuries, the pain.”

“California’s wildfires are devastating to people, property and wildlife. Identifying, arresting and prosecuting suspected arsonists who have demonstrated they are capable of harming so many, and so much, is essential to public safety,” Alan Barcelona, president of CSLEA, the union representing state employees including firefighters and law enforcement, said in a statement.

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