In the Fall of 2021, The Caldor Fire devastated the lives of thousands across El Dorado County. Many lost their homes, their jobs, their livelihoods. Many more lost their cherished landscape, the pristine nature that brought them here in the first place.

And now, the trauma continues. Families are struggling with the cost to rebuild. Some wonder if it’s worth it to rebuild at all. There’s building permits and land surveys and endless battles with insurance companies. Many residents are sorting through these mountains of paperwork while sorting through their own emotional loss and exhaustion.

For some, the struggles faced today are too much to consider who is responsible for the disaster and whether officials conducted a thorough investigation. They are, understandably, focused on putting one foot in front of the other. They are focused on how today’s phone call will go with their insurance agent. They are focused on healing.

For others, the process for healing requires answers and explanation. While they may be able to physically move forward, physically rebuild, emotionally they want to understand what happened, and why. In order to fully heal, these residents must know, who did this?

The El Dorado County District Attorney says the answer is simple: David and Travis (Shane) Smith recklessly started the Caldor Fire on August 14, 2021 near the convergence of Dogtown Creek and the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River. In court documents, investigators say witnesses saw the Smiths near the fire’s origin around the time the fire began, and GPS data places them in the same area at the same time. Furthermore, ear plugs containing Shane’s DNA were recovered from the scene.

The Smiths and their attorneys, however, say none of this is in dispute. Both sides agree the Smiths were driving their ATV in the Dogtown area that day. Both agree Shane Smith called 911 to report a wildfire. Both agree the Smiths warned others in the area that a fire was growing down in the canyon. So, the Smiths’ lawyers contend, it makes sense both GPS data and witnesses place them in the area of the fire’s origin, and items with Shane’s DNA were later found at the scene.

In filings for a $1 million dollar bail request for each man, the DA cites text messages and social media posts that depict the Smiths as firearm enthusiasts, with Shane having a “general lack of concern for proper firearms safety.” The request also mentions bullet casings found near the fire’s general area of origin, suggesting the fire may have been started by shooting.

The DA’s filing does not specifically tie the bullet casings to the Smiths, only that “several bullet casings that appeared to have been recently discharged” were recovered near the scene. According to the Smiths’ attorneys, forensic testing did not indicate a match between the casings and any of the firearms seized by investigators. In fact, they say, they do not yet know what the DA’s theory is for how exactly the fire started.

After reviewing the DA’s filing and listening to arguments, a judge reduced bail from $1 million to $50,000 for Shane, and from $1 million to $25,000 for David. While further evidence was not presented to argue for the higher bail, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Even the Smiths’ attorneys concede that the discovery process is not complete and they can’t state with absolute certainty what the DA may, or may not, have.

For now it appears the DA has “proven” the Smiths were there that day, that they called 911, that they own firearms, and that Shane may have been irresponsible with at least one gun in his recent past. For the residents seeking answers as part of their healing process, they wonder if the DA’s evidence will be enough to secure a conviction at trial. If not, the questions then turn to the investigators: Was the process thorough? Were all possible suspects questioned, and properly eliminated, before the Smiths were accused?

Through months of my own research we have learned a lot about the Smiths and the DA’s allegations against them. We have also learned much about former Pioneer Fire Protection District Mark Matthews, first on scene to the Caldor Fire.

We now know Matthews has a troubled history stretching through California, Arizona, and Oregon. We know his own staff has accused him of everything from unsafe training practices to arson. We know he was investigated in Cochise County for his alleged connection to several suspicious fires, and that he suddenly left that county before the investigation was completed. We know a Sheriff investigator labeled Matthews’ management practices as “dangerous.” We know he was found in violation of at least 13 district policies and procedures just two and a half months before leaving Arizona and applying for the position of Fire Chief in Pioneer. We know that, as early as 2018, at least one CalFire arson investigator was looking into Matthews’ background and expressed suspicion of Matthews’ behavior.

None of this is to say Matthews started the Caldor Fire. However, given his questionable background and his record of arriving first on scene to many suspicious fires, including the Caldor Fire, it is reasonable to ask if he was properly eliminated as a suspect. Did investigators ask where he was when the fire started? Did Matthews offer his phone and GPS records to agents to assist in their investigation?

In interview reports from August and September, 2021, it appears Matthews was only asked to describe the location of what appeared to him to be the fire’s point of origin. This was done, according to the interviewer, to assist agents in accessing the difficult terrain. There is no suggestion Matthews was ever questioned by officials again. In an interview this past January, Matthews himself confirmed that agents had no further questions for him.

And while investigators zeroed in on the Smiths’ 911 call and social media posts, it appears Matthews isn’t the only individual they looked past. In the weeks following the fire, Andy Freeman told friends that his father, Billy, started the Caldor Fire. The comments were recorded in an interview by investigators last September.

Corroborating the story are Billy’s own friends and family who state he was missing at the time the fire began. Andy states that Billy discussed being the “number one suspect” in starting the Caldor Fire. Further, and by his own admission, Billy himself was cited by forest officials for multiple illegal fire rings and burn pits in the months before the fire began.

Yet, according to Billy, no investigator or law enforcement agent has ever spoken to Billy about anything related to the Caldor Fire. My own sources close to the investigation were unable to find indications that such an interview ever took place. And finally, the Smiths’ attorneys say they haven’t come across any mention of any interaction between investigators and Billy Freeman in the discovery process thus far.

Again, none of this is to say that Matthews or Freeman are responsible for starting the Caldor Fire. Instead, as I share my opinion here my questions are directed at investigators. If these men’s assertions are accurate, what led to the decision to not question them? What convinced agents that there was no need to interview either man about his whereabouts that day?

Of course, one possibility is that, in those early days of the investigation, agents already had irrefutable evidence that the Smith’s started the fire and, as such, there was no need to look at any other possibility. This would also necessitate that the DA chose to not include such evidence in their failed, million-dollar bail request.

We can be hopeful that investigators have the right suspects and evidence to prove to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that David and Shane Smith are responsible for starting the Caldor Fire. But, it’s my opinion, that we should also be prepared for a different outcome. What if the evidence in this case is so lacking that the Smiths case never makes it to trial? What if they are found not guilty? If the results of this investigation are so unclear, what does that mean for the healing process of so many fire victims across this county?

If the latter is the case, investigators should be prepared to answer questions about the Smiths, Mark Matthews, Billy Freeman, and who actually started this fire. While this county doesn’t receive much media attention nationally, or even statewide, the voice of wildfire survivors should never be underestimated. When clear answers aren’t offered, sometimes the questions grow loud enough to shift that media spotlight.

We have seen it in other communities across California devastated by wildfire, and there’s no reason to suggest it would be any different here.

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Travis Alvarez and Amanda Serum were at their home working on their side-by-side ATV on August 14, 2021. In minutes, Travis would test his repairs by driving down Caldor Road where he would encounter David and Shane Smith. The Smiths, who stand accused of recklessly starting the Caldor Fire, were in the process of calling 911 to report the flames when Travis came upon them that Saturday.

In the coming days Travis and Amanda’s lives would be turned upside down. Like so many across El Dorado County, they feared for their home, their family, and their livelihood. After leaving their house they first stayed with family and friends before they were forced to evacuate a second and third time as the fire grew. Eventually, Travis and Amanda found themselves tent camping on the property of Sheriff D’Agostini who had opened his land to evacuees.

It was while camping at the D’Agostinis that Travis and Amanda made a trip to Walmart to stock up on food and supplies. Walmart, too, had become a refuge of sorts for local evacuees looking for a place to pitch a tent, one of whom was an old friend of Amanda’s named Andy Freeman.

As Travis and Amanda were leaving Walmart, Andy called out to them. Travis continued on to the truck and waited while Amanda walked over to catch up with the friend she hadn’t seen in years. According to Travis, Andy appeared animated while Amanda looked surprised at what she was hearing. “Amanda looked shocked. It was obvious he was telling her something crazy. And when she got back in the truck she literally said, ‘I just heard the craziest shit in my life,'” Travis told me.

According to Amanda, her conversation with Andy opened with typical pleasantries shared between two people who haven’t seen each other in years. “I remember we just kind of asked how each other was. I said something like, ‘This is all so crazy,’ you know, talking about the evacuations. That’s when he said, ‘You want to really here something crazy?’ And that was it. He just started telling me this insane story about his dad, Billy,” Amanda told me.

According to friends, Billy Freeman is a local native who lives in a tent or makeshift cabin on land owned by a rancher in Happy Valley. He is known to drift across the county, camping near rivers and panning for gold. He is said to struggle with addiction issues and is estranged from some of his family.

Amanda recalls Andy telling her that his dad, Billy Freeman, had been missing for several days and family and friends were worried Billy was hurt or killed in the fire. However, according to Andy, Billy suddenly turned up and told Andy he was “hiding from the feds because he started the Caldor Fire.”

Shocked, Amanda asked Andy to clarify what he was saying. He explained that his dad was at a campsite in Dogtown Creek the afternoon of Saturday, August 14 where he started a “campfire and was doing drugs,” according to Amanda. Andy said that his dad “nodded off” and when he woke up, the campfire had spread and the surrounding trees and brush were ablaze.

Andy told Amanda that Billy then panicked, jumped on his quad, and took off. Over the next several days, Billy camped in various locations around the county in order to avoid investigators. When he finally turned up, Billy told Andy this entire story and claimed he started the Caldor Fire, according to Andy.

Andy also told Amanda that Billy has a history of starting unsafe campfires, some of which spread out of control. Andy claimed that Billy has been cited by law enforcement several times for illegal campfires, including one in the Cosumnes Mine area.

After her encounter with Andy, Amanda was so alarmed that she shared the story with the D’Agostinis who then contacted CalFire investigators. Eventually, the two investigators who interviewed Travis about his encounter with the Smiths also interviewed Amanda about her encounter with Andy Freeman.

I was able to obtain a recording of Amanda’s interview with the two investigators. In it, she clearly recounts the story Andy shared with her much as she recounted it with me. Towards the end of the recording, the investigators ask Amanda if she would be willing to share their contact information with Andy and encourage him to call their office. Amanda responds by reminding the agents that she isn’t in regular contact with Andy but would try to reach him on Facebook.

When I first stumbled upon this story, Andy Freeman was incarcerated and I was unable to ask him to confirm or deny Amanda’s account of what he told her that day in the Walmart parking lot. Instead, I began contacting family and friends of both Andy and Billy to see if they had information to share.

Everyone I spoke with recall that Billy was indeed missing. Andy’s aunt shared with me a family text dated August 17th, 2021 stating Billy had been missing “for days.” Billy’s niece remembers a family member calling her to say, “Billy’s neighbor on the ranch hasn’t seen him for days and thinks he went missing in the fire.” This phone call also took place on the 17th. Billy’s mother called his sister on the morning of August 18th to tell her Billy has been missing. The same sister then took to Twitter to plead with her followers to keep an eye out for her missing brother:

According to the family members, Billy’s mother called the El Dorado County Sheriff to report Billy missing. However, later on August 18th, just hours after the news began spreading on social media, a sheriff’s deputy contacted family to report that Billy was no longer missing. According to the deputy, Billy had been seen driving his quad early on the 18th and the missing person report could be closed.

After Billy was found, no one I interviewed from the family was told where Billy had been while missing. Two family members claim they asked Billy and he “avoided the question and started talking about something else.” Another told me they messaged Billy on Facebook and he “read the message but didn’t reply.”

I also spoke with a county resident who has been close friends with Billy for nearly 20 years. She recalls seeing Facebook and Twitter posts about Billy’s disappearance. “Given everything that was happening at that time, I thought he was dead. It was terrible,” she told me. After Billy turned up, she texted him to ask what happened. She said, “He just totally avoided the question. He told me he was up there on the ranch fighting the fire but didn’t say where he had been. I guess he didn’t want to talk about it. I was just glad he was okay.”

After weeks of interviews with Billy’s family and friends, a source contacted me to say Andy was being released from the county jail. Billy’s sister put me in contact with Andy and I immediately set up an interview.

“Look, I know you’re asking about my dad and the fire. What is it you want to know?” I didn’t have the chance to introduce myself before Andy Freeman was talking.

I wasn’t surprised Andy was already aware that I was investigating his father’s alleged connection to the Caldor Fire. I had spoken with what was probably half of his family by then and likely messaged the other half on Facebook and Twitter. What did surprise me, however, was his eagerness to talk about his dad.

I asked Andy to explain why people were telling investigators that he believes his father started the Caldor Fire. He told me that he never explicitly told anyone that Billy started the fire. However, he does remember talking about Billy with friends in the Walmart parking lot. “Yea I was talking with my homies. I for sure told them he probably did it. Because, you know, he probably did. I love my dad but he’s a fucking idiot,” Andy said.

I said I was surprised by the comment. I asked how he could tell a blogger, who is about to write this story, that is father “probably” started the most destructive wildfire in El Dorado County history. He explained, “Well, he did this shit all the time. He’d pass out and wake up and his campfire would be all over. He’s been cited for it. It’s the drugs. Again, I love my dad but he’s got problems with drugs. And plus, you know, he told me he was a suspect.”

Andy said he was informed that Billy was missing much like the rest of the family. “I don’t remember who it was. I think it was a neighbor that called my aunt to say he hadn’t seen my dad in awhile and was probably dead in the fire or something. I was fucking worried. Seriously worried,” Andy said.

Much like Amanda told me, Andy said that when Billy was found he told Andy that “the feds were looking for him for starting the Caldor Fire.” Andy asked his dad whether he did start the fire. “He never really answered. He just kept saying he was a suspect because of all those illegal campfires he got cited for,” Andy said.

According to Billy’s sister, USFS investigators were indeed suspicious of Billy. Days after the fire, two agents showed up at her house looking for Billy. “They wanted to know where he was. They said they were investigating the origination of the Caldor Fire. I remember them using that word, ‘origination.'” She hasn’t spoken with her brother in years, she told them, and was unable to say where he was living let alone where he was at the time the fire began. One of the agents left a card, asking her to contact them if she heard from Billy:

Throughout our interview, Andy repeatedly shared his suspicions about his father with me. “It was just shady as hell. I mean he disappears when the fire started. Then he turns up acting all weird. Says he was suspected of starting the fire. Won’t tell anyone where he was. I mean, shit, he probably did it,” he said.

Our conversation made clear that much of what Amanda shared with me, and investigators, is very similar to what Andy actually told her. The key difference, however, is that Andy claims to have told Amanda that Billy “probably” started the fire, whereas Amanda recalls Andy being more certain.

Towards the end of our interview, I reminded Andy that he was on the record and again asked if he still believes Billy could have started the fire. “100%. Absolutely. And it’s not ‘could have.’ He probably did it,” he replied. “I love him. He’s my dad. But if he did this? People should know.”

According to Andy, no investigator has spoken with him about his story. “I was just locked up for like 100 days. If they wanted to talk they knew where to find me,” he said.

After interviewing Amanda, reviewing the investigators’ recording, speaking with Billy’s family, and then finally interviewing Andy, the next step seemed logical: Contact Billy Freeman himself.

So I did.

Billy’s story will continue in Part Three.

Early one evening in mid-August, Travis Alvarez and Amanda Serum were changing the oil in their side-by-side ATV. It was an ordinary day. Warm and breezy. The perfect day to fix up their ride and take it for a spin. They had no idea that, in just minutes, Travis would bear witness to the beginning of El Dorado County’s most destructive wildfire. Nor could they have predicted that, days later, a man would approach Amanda with a troubling story in which he claimed his father was responsible for starting the fire.

It was August 14, 2021. They were at their home just off Caldor Road and had invited their friend, David Hall, to stop by for a visit. David gave Travis a hand with the oil change, and they made quick work of a simple job. Wanting to make sure everything was running properly, Travis and David jumped in the side-by-side for a quick drive. Amanda stayed behind at the house.

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It was 6:49 pm on August 14, 2021 when Shane Smith called 911 to report a wildland fire off Caldor road near the Dogtown Creek drainage. Within days, Shane and his father, David Smith, would become the focus of investigators’ attempts to determine how the fire started.

David Smith is 66 years old and has lived in El Dorado County since the mid-1970s. He and his wife raised three children here and he has worked at the Pepsi plant in Elk Grove for 40 years. According to his attorney, David has no prior criminal history and TJR has been unable to find any criminal or arrest records in the State of California.

David’s son, Shane, is 32 years old and grew up in Somerset, California. After high school he became a certified electrician and currently lives and works in Folsom. Friends describe Shane as an avid outdoorsmen. Shane appears to have no criminal history and his lawyers claim he has never been arrested.

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It has been seven months since the Caldor Fire ignited in southern El Dorado County. The Jericho Report has uncovered hundreds of details and published nearly 50 reports on the cause of the fire, the emergency response, and the key players who fought the fire in those early days last August.

Soon, we will be moving into a new phase of the investigation. Before we begin our coverage of the impending Smiths’ trial, as well as our research into other communities effected by the Caldor Fire, let’s recap some of the key details we have learned thus far.

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The Caldor Fire
The Caldor Fire began on August 14, 2021 near the convergence of Dogtown Creek and the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River, near Omo Ranch in Ed Dorado County. Over the next several weeks, the Caldor became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. It first destroyed the community of Grizzly Flats before tearing north, and then east across the county where it became only the second fire in California History to cross the Sierra Nevada. It burned approximately 222,000 acres of stunning landscape and destroyed nearly 800 structures before it was fully contained in late October.

• Officials believe the fire started on the south side of the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes near a swimming hole. The coordinates recorded are 38.5940879, -120.5417461.
• Over the next 24 hours the fire slowly spread south and east along the Middle Fork.
• On August 15 the fire crossed the Middle Fork to the north and east of the point of origin.
• On August 16 fire crept down the ridge to the north where it crossed Dogtown Creek at 6:47 p.m.
• By 11:00 p.m. on August 16 remaining staff at Leoni Meadows Camp were preparing to evacuate. Minutes later the camp’s first buildings would be destroyed.
• Mandatory evacuations for Grizzly Flats began at approximately 11:15 p.m.
• By 2:00 a.m. on August 17, the first homes on the east side of Grizzly Flats were already lost.

The Initial Response
The fire ignited on United States Forest Service land. Eldorado National Forest chiefs served as incident commanders for the majority of the first three days of the fire.

• The first report of the fire occurred at 6:49 p.m. on August 14, 2021 via a 911 call.
• Receiving the call, Camino dispatched forest service resources by 6:52 p.m.
• Due to miscommunication in the 911 call, resources were dispatched to a location approximately six miles northeast of the fire’s actual location.
• Pioneer Fire Protection District Chief Mark Matthews added himself to the call at 6:58 p.m. and arrived on location at 7:15 p.m. As the first to arrive, Matthews became Incident Commander.
• The first helicopter arrived on scene at 7:33 p.m. and soon located the fire.
• The correct location of the fire was given by air attack at 7:40 p.m. Matthews departs the incorrect location and begins the 45 minute drive to the fire’s actual location.
• Retardant and water was dropped on the fire. Matthews called out “forward progress stopped” at 8:03 p.m.
• After locating the fire at the bottom of an impassible logging road, Matthews is the first to arrive at the fire’s edge at 10:40 p.m.
• A battalion chief from Eldorado National Forest arrived on scene at approximately 11:00 p.m. and became Incident Commander.
• Eldorado National Forest would be responsible for incident command until fire reached Grizzly Flats. After, a joint command system was put together with CalFire.

Mark Matthews
Mark Matthews has been Fire Chief for the Pioneer Fire Protection District since 2018. He was the first to arrive on scene to the Caldor Fire and was the first Indecent Commander on August 14, 2021.

• Matthews previously worked for the Palominas Fire District in Cochise County, Arizona.
• He was the subject of an investigation by the Cochise County Sherriff’s Office for his alleged behavior connected with suspicious fires in 2017.
• Between August and October, 2017 Matthews was investigated by a human resources contractor for allegedly harassing a female employee in Palominas. He was subsequently suspended for 30 days.
• As the Palominas Fire District Board of Directors opened additional investigations into Matthews, he resigned in October 2017. Publicly, Matthews stated that a devastating cancer diagnosis forced the sudden retirement.
• Two and a half months later Matthews applied for the position of Fire Chief in Pioneer and began working there in June of 2018.
• Matthews has accused Christine Holum, a Pioneer Fire Protection District board director, of harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
• Matthews went on medical leave from Pioneer on February 2, 2022. He has been living in Oregon, his home state, since at least February 11. His contract with Pioneer is due to expire at the end of March, 2022.

The Forest Service
Eldorado National Forest chiefs served as incident commanders for the majority of the first three days of the fire. Citing an ongoing investigation, public relations officers within the forest service have been able to share only limited information with The Jericho Report.

• Forest service air craft were attacking the fire by 7:40 p.m. on August 14, 2021. Both water and retardant drops were made that first evening.
• A battalion chief from the forest service was the second person to arrive at the scene on the ground. This person took over incident command from Matthews.
• By all accounts thus far, the forest service did not move resources to the north of Dogtown Creek until late in the evening on August 16. Questions remain on whether this alleged inaction left the communities of Leoni Meadows and Grizzly Flats unnecessarily vulnerable.
• The forest service was responsible for implementing a years-long fuel reduction plan across woodlands to the east and south of Grizzly Flats prior to the Caldor Fire. Known as the Trestle Project, thousands of acres had yet to be completed before the fire began.

The Smiths
David and Travis (Shane) Smith are the only two individuals who have been charged in connection to the Caldor Fire.

• The Smiths were arrested on December 8, 2021 by agents from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office. They were charged with reckless arson.
• Both men were also charged with possessing illegally-modified weapons which were allegedly discovered by law enforcement in the course of their investigation.
• The Smiths were initially held on a $1 million bond. At a subsequent bond hearing, a judge reduced David’s bond to $25,000 and Shane’s to $50,000. Both men are out and awaiting trial.
• It appears the DA is alleging that the Smiths recklessly fired a weapon or weapons in the area, and thus started the fire. The Jericho Report is working to obtain more details.
• Shane Smith reported the fire via the 911 call at 6:49 p.m. on August 14, 2021.
• A trial date for the two has yet to be scheduled.

What’s Next?
As the next phase of this investigation ramps up The Jericho Report is working hard to answer dozens of questions that are still outstanding.

• Why did Matthews call out a forward progress status when he was nowhere near the fire?
• With Matthews’ years-long fight against debilitating disease, did the Pioneer Board of Directors do enough to ensure he was medically fit to fulfil his duties?
• Was Matthews of sound body and mind when he was incident command on the fire?
• Why did the forest service wait so long to move resources north?
• On the first night of the fire, who exactly pulled crews for accountability and what led to the call?
• Why did the evacuation orders for Grizzly Flats come so late?
• Did the dip site limitations placed by the forest service impede pilot’s efforts?
• What led to CalFire’s success in protecting communities like Sly Park?
• As fire crossed Echo Summit into the basin, how exactly was Christmas Valley saved?
• Why were communities along highway 50 left without power for so long?
• What are the hurdles facing Grizzly Flats residents as they attempt to rebuild?

Our research is just getting started. The Jericho Report will continue doing everything we can to get these questions answered, as well as the new questions that arise along the way. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for your support.

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