Mc Nally Fire Updae

Homeless woman found dead believed to be same person who started massive 2002 wildfire
BY JASON KOTOWSKI Californian staff writer
Thursday, Dec 29 2011 06:00 AM
Last Updated Thursday, Dec 29 2011 06:00 AM
There are indications a homeless woman found dead in a small encampment near the Chester Avenue Bridge was the same woman who gained notoriety about a decade ago after accidentally igniting the largest wildfire in Sequoia National Forest history.
Peri Dare Van Brunt started the McNally Fire in July 2002 when a campfire she was using to cook hot dogs burned out of control. The blaze scorched 150,000 acres and racked up $148 million in firefighting and other costs.
The woman found dead Tuesday has been identified as Peri Dare Van Brunt, and her age and what's known of her criminal history match the records of the Van Brunt who started the wildfire.
Two of Van Brunt's children were collecting her belongings Wednesday at the small, cluttered campsite she kept amid some trees near the water's edge. Jimmy Watkins, 28, and Lani Van Brunt, 22, described their mother as a loving person who at times struggled with drugs and had been homeless for the past two years.
Lani Van Brunt turned away and said she had no comment when asked if her mother had started the McNally Fire.
But she was willing to speak about her mother's interests. Peri Dare Van Brunt enjoyed listening to classic rock, doing arts and crafts and cooking, and had worked at several local eateries, Lani Van Brunt said.
Watkins said Van Brunt had fallen on hard times and was unable to find work. He and Lani visited her frequently at her makeshift campsite.
"She'd do anything for anybody," Watkins said.
Van Brunt pleaded guilty in May 2003 to three misdemeanor charges of negligently setting the McNally Fire, and was later sentenced to 18 months in prison. The blaze burned for two months, destroying three homes, five commercial properties and six outbuildings.
Kern County Fire Engineer Leland Davis said Wednesday the McNally Fire remains the largest Sequoia National Forest wildfire.
Van Brunt admitted to taking methamphetamine the night before the fire, according to archived articles in The Californian. The blaze started July 21, 2002 at Road's End Resort, 16 miles north of Kernville.
The charges she pleaded guilty to said she left an unlawful fire unattended, didn't clear an area around the fire and caused a fire that burned trees, brush and grass. Witnesses said she went to the resort asking for help in dousing a fire near the river, and then fled with her dog.
She was arrested a week later.
Married at the time with two children, Van Brunt had gone to the resort after her estranged husband, Gary Van Brunt, traveled there to get away from her. Gary Van Brunt had asked for a court order prohibiting her from coming near him, alleging that she was unstable and destroyed the house they'd been living in, according to Californian reports at the time.
Both before and after the fire, Van Brunt was repeatedly charged with drug offenses.
The Kern County Superior Court website says Peri Van Brunt pleaded no contest to drug possession for sales in 1992 and 1994, petty theft in 2007, drug possession in 2008, and in 2009 she again pleaded no contest to drug possession for sales.
Bakersfield police Sgt. Mary DeGeare said Van Brunt was last seen alive about 5:30 p.m. Monday. She lived alone in the camp.
There was no sign of injury to the body, and no indication of foul play, DeGeare said.
Lani Van Brunt said an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
Source: http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x4969554/Homeless-woman-found-dead-believed-to-be-same-person-who-started-massive-2002-wildfire