Cousins receive 48 hours jail for Ariz. wildfire

Cousins receive 48 hours jail for Ariz. wildfire

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Two cousins who admitted starting the largest wildfire in Arizona history have been sentenced to 48 hours in jail and 200 hours of community service.

Caleb and David Malboeuf appeared before a federal magistrate judge today in Flagstaff. They had faced up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. The two pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor charges of building a campfire without clearing flammable material and leaving it unattended.

They had been camping in eastern Arizona’s Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in May 2011 when their campfire spread outside its rings, sparking the Wallow Fire. The blaze burned more than 538,000 acres in Arizona and parts of western New Mexico before it was contained.