Starting a Wildfire Could Become a Federal Crime

Find Firehouse.com’s full coverage of the 2025 California Fire Storm, which began Jan. 7 near Los Angeles, here.

While efforts to speed disaster aid to areas of California hit hard by wildfires languish, lawmakers Monday offered other measures, notably an effort to make arson and looting during a wildfire a federal crime.

A new House bill would make it a federal crime to “cause a wildfire, further the spread of a wildfire, or attempt to do either,” according to a statement from sponsors Reps. Ro Khanna, D- Santa Clara and George Whitesides, D- Palmdale. It would also become a federal crime to commit theft in an area where a major disaster declaration has been made for a wildfire.

Former President Joe Biden made that declaration January 8, as the fires began to spread. That made certain types of emergency aid available immediately.

The Los Angeles area has been hit by wildfires over the past two weeks that have killed 28 people and displaced tens of thousands from their homes.

The new House legislation aims to boost penalties for crimes committed as the wildfires spread, and gives law enforcement an additional tool to help deter and arrest potential wildfire-related crimes..

At least eight people have been suspected of setting smaller fires as the wildfires blazed. CNN reported last week that one was arrested after allegedly setting piles of trash on fire. There have also been multiple arrests for looting in fire-wracked areas.

Helping firefighters

In the Senate, Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, California Democrats, have joined Republicans in pushing legislation aimed at helping families of firefighters and other first responders who die or become permanently disabled from job-related cancer.

Currently, firefighters can get help from the federal Public Safety Officer Benefits program for physical injuries sustained in the line-of-duty or for deaths from duty-related heart attacks, strokes, mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and 9/11-related illnesses.

The legislation would allow families of firefighters and other first responders to get similar aid through the federal program. It would also extend disability benefits in cases where these first responders become permanently and totally disabled due to cancer.

“The exposure to dangerous carcinogens happens on our behalf. When these heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, their families should not bear these burdens alone,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R- North Dakota, a bill sponsor.

About 1,000 federal firefighters have helped battle the Southern California blazes.

In addition to Padilla, Schiff, Cramer and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D- Minn., the chief sponsors, 24 other senators are co-sponsoring the bill, including Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R- Wyoming, and Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both R- Texas.

Disaster aid for California?

The fight over disaster aid remains mired in political battles. During his trip Friday to inspect disaster-caused areas of North Carolina and California, Trump did mention possible conditions before California could get further aid.

He wants California to get tougher on undocumented immigrants and make big changes in how it regulates its water flow. Newsom has called the criticism of water management “pure fiction.”

In Washington, senators have been grilling Trump’s Cabinet nominees during confirmation hearings about California aid and gotten little resistance to their pleas for unconditioned help.

“Will you commit to getting congressionally appropriated funding out to Californians devastated by these fires as quickly as possible?” Padilla asked Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee as budget director, at a recent confirmation hearing.

“Senator, this president has always been a firm distributor of federal resources to areas that need disaster money, and I don’t expect that to change,” Vought said.