At least one person has perished in a wildfire tearing through the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada, and authorities believe the culprit is a man who was just trying to have a nice birthday. Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, has been arrested in connection with the Gann fire, which has destroyed seven buildings, scorched over 15 square miles in Calaveras County, and killed a well-known dog breeder in Angels Camp.

Smith told KCRA that he didn't mean to start the fire. Monday was his birthday, and he was using machinery to cut scraps to earn money for a celebratory meal with his wife. 'I'm so sorry for everything that's happened,' Smith said. 'This is going to destroy my life, one way or another.'

Officials allege Smith 'recklessly caused' the blaze while 'operating equipment capable of producing sparks' without clearing flammable vegetation as required by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges. This isn't Smith's first rodeo with fire: in 2018, he was charged with igniting another fire, accused of 'willfully and unlawfully setting fire to any forest, brush, or other flammable material' on land that wasn't his. He pleaded no contest and got 36 months' probation.

As of Friday morning, the Gann fire has consumed more than 10,000 acres and is about 40% contained. Investigators will determine whether the fire contributed to the death of the person found in a burned home near Angels Camp. Friends identified the victim as Susan Solari, and a neighbor told CBS Sacramento she refused to leave her dogs. 'I told them she was there, that her dogs were there and she couldn't get her dogs out,' Joan Wilson said. 'She wasn't going to leave them.'

The Gann fire is just one chapter in a grueling fire season in the American West. Three major fires continue to burn near Spokane, Washington, destroying at least 800 buildings. A 37-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sparking one of those fires, with court documents accusing him of studying how to maximize the blaze's destruction. No deaths have been reported in Washington, and officials say cooler temperatures and calmer winds are helping firefighters make progress.