The Norco man accused of starting the San Bernardino Line Fire on Sept. 5 pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday to arson and other charges. The investigation into Justin Wayne Halsentberg began the day after the fire erupted along Baseline and Alpine streets in Highland.

Man suspected of igniting the Line fire pleads not guilty to multiple counts of arson. The fire has scorched nearly 40,000 acres and is 49% contained.

A Norco man accused of deliberately igniting the 39,000-acre Line fire that forced thousands of residents of Highland and the San Bernardino Mountains to flee pleaded not guilty to nine felony arson counts on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

A Southern California man arrested on suspicion of starting the massive Line Fire, which sent people fleeing from their homes as more than 37,000 acres burned, is now facing nine charges, according to prosecutors.

Authorities said Justin Wayne Halstenberg attempted to start three fires within an hour — two that were extinguished by firefighters and a good Samaritan and a third that became the Line Fire, which has charred 61 square miles in the mountains east of Los Angeles.

A California man has pleaded not guilty to starting a fire that authorities said ballooned into a massive wildfire and forced the evacuation of thousands of homes. Online court records show Justin Wayne Halstenberg,