Arsonist Gets Prison for Torching Historic Chico, CA, Mansion

On a cold December day, Kevin Alexander Carlson walked the streets of downtown Chico, weighed down by discontent.

Hours later, the city’s most storied landmark was an inferno, reduced to little more than charred remains of its 150-year legacy.

Carlson, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in state prison — the maximum penalty for felony arson — after admitting to setting fire to Bidwell Mansion, an act that stunned the city and sent investigators on a weeks-long hunt for the culprit.

His motive? A mix of personal frustration and class resentment, spelled out in a defense statement that, until now, had remained a mystery.

In court Wednesday, Butte Superior Judge Corie J. Caraway laid out the grim weight of Carlson’s actions.

“The defendant was influenced by his motive and his desire to do something to address his perception of the disparity between classes in our society,” Caraway said. “He also believed that the government seemed to be more concerned with maintaining a mansion that protected the legacy of John Bidwell, who he believed was known to exploit people, while ignoring the less fortunate, such as those who live homeless near the base of the mansion.”

Carlson, who pleaded no contest in February, will also be on the hook for a staggering $37.4 million in restitution — plus 10% interest backdated to Dec. 11, the day he poured gasoline and set fire to the iconic landmark.

For weeks, the case had left the community on edge. The fire ripped through the historic estate, causing devastation not just in dollars but in the hearts of Chico residents. More than 100 victim impact statements flooded the court, detailing the emotional toll of the blaze.

Carlson, in his own words, called the crime a “childish” and impulsive act — one that spiraled far beyond his intent.

“I never meant to cause that much structural damage, though I guess that doesn’t count for much at this point,” he wrote.

On Wednesday he sat silent in court, offering no further explanation.

Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture. What Carlson called impulse, they called calculation. A “chilling level of premeditation,” they argued, pointing to the destruction that left the city’s history in ruins.

What happened?

The fire that destroyed the Bidwell Mansion began unexpectedly, spread uncontrollably and puzzled a community that had for generations grown in the footprint and shadow of the pioneer family.

Carlson admitted to breaking a lower-level window of the mansion at about 2:05 a.m. Dec. 11, pouring gasoline inside and dragging a trail of gas outside, effectively creating a fuse to light from a distance.

Video captured two quick flashes and an explosion soon after, as the fire began to visibly spread. By the time reports of the fire came in at 3:16 a.m., the mansion had been fully engulfed in flames. Its remnants smoldered on the edge of Chico State’s campus throughout the day as fire investigators began piecing together what happened.

Officials a week later declared the fire was caused by arson and asked for the public’s help identifying suspects. Meanwhile, investigators were piecing together video evidence from homes, businesses and other sources throughout Chico and Oroville to hone in on a suspicious vehicle that was ultimately connected to Carlson, who was arrested Jan. 2.

The mansion had been fenced off and under restoration at the time of the fire. Officials have been unclear about why fire alarms inside the building had not sounded during the blaze, a point that Larry Pilgrim, Carlson’s public defender, harped on during the hearing.

“There’s no doubt” that Carlson set a fire, Pilgrim said, but the extent of the damage could have been minimized and the mansion saved, had the fire and burglary alarms inside worked.

But prosecutors doubted Carlson’s more modest intentions.

Carlson said he only poured about a gallon of the 4 to 5 gallons of gasoline he had bought the afternoon before setting the fire — in addition to other supplies he bought in cash from various stores in Oroville.

Cal Fire arson investigator Jason Stocklas said Wednesday it was very unlikely that only one gallon of gasoline was used, given the growth and size of the fire. About a week after the fire, when investigators cleared debris and found the blaze’s origin inside a hallway window, Stocklas said that it still smelled strongly of gasoline.

“It kind of burnt out the sense of smell for some of the investigators for a little bit,” he said.

‘Terrorism against our community’

Jonathan Carlson, the defendant’s father, said that he does not condone his son’s actions, and asked the judge to consider the probation officer’s recommendation of eight years, rather than the maximum.

“Your honor, I have (heard) many times over the years that we are a nation of laws,” he said. “Laws prevent emotions that may result in mob rule.”

Adrienne Glatz, president of the Bidwell Mansion Association board of directors, asked for the maximum sentence while describing the cultural and emotional toll the mansion’s loss has had on people in Chico.

“Its loss is not merely physical,” she said. “It’s an assault on the cultural, educational and emotional fabric that binds our community together.”

School-aged children in Chico learn young the legacy of John and Annie Bidwell, a prominent couple during California’s formative years credited with founding Chico.

From pioneers to the privileged class, the Bidwells’ estate became iconic for the city and neighboring Chico State campus. But the couple’s intertwining legacy with the history of the Mechoopda people, who were displaced by the rush of settlers and miners who flocked to the land that is now called Chico, has not been without controversy.

“If politically motivated, it was an act of terrorism against our community and a deliberate attempt to erase the past, rather than engage in meaningful dialogue,” Glatz said.