Man Receives 30-Day Sentence For Colockum Fire in 2020

A man who admits he started a 3,000-acre fire near Malaga back in 2020 will not be going back to jail.

Thirty-one-year-old Wade Hawkins was sentenced to 30 days for starting the Colockum Fire near Malaga, which threatened more than 100 homes before being extinguished.

He was initially charged with first-degree arson, but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of reckless burning as part of a plea deal.

Hawkins has already fulfilled his 30-day sentence, having spent time behind bars after he started the fire two years ago to the date Saturday.

Deputies were on a call for a civil dispute when they first noticed the fire.

It was 90 percent contained three days after being ignited.