Man who set three fires near Echo Lake in 2020 pleads guilty

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Douglas Gregory Edwards, 37, formerly of Berkeley, pleaded guilty Tuesday to setting fire to federal land in the Lake Tahoe area three years ago.

On July 5, 2020, Edwards set three separate fires in the forest and near hiking trails - the Echo Fire, the Upper Fire, and Lake Fire. At the time of the fires, campfires were restricted, and smoking was prohibited except inside of a vehicle or other designated areas.

The Echo Fire

Edwards set the first fire at approximately 3 a.m. on a slope near Echo Lake, which became known as the Echo Fire. A long-time local resident spotted a stream of smoke coming from the top of Echo Peak at 3:23 a.m. He called in the information and hiked up with his sister. They found a large dead tree on a steep slope engulfed in flames which they doused with sand.

They also came across Edwards who was 34 at the time. They described him as an "African-American male with a mustache who appeared to be in his twenties, wearing a thick insulated jacket, beanie hat, scarf, tightly fitted jeans, and black work boots with brown laces tied around his legs, standing and passively watching the fire from a flat landing area located above the slope from where the fire was burning.

When the USFS fire crews arrived at 8:13 a.m., they too saw who they thought to be Edwards leaving the area at that time. After ensuring the fire was out, crews picked up evidence such as plastic bags, food wrappers, and cigarette butts. This was dubbed the Echo Fire.

The Upper Fire

At 9:15 a.m., agents at the Echo Fire Incident Command Center observed smoke approximately 500 feet up the ridgeline in an area with short brush and trees. They reached the fire by 9:30 a.m. where it was approximately thirty feet by thirty feet in size less than a mile downhill from the first fire.

Again, firefighters contained this second fire using water drops from aircraft, and it was contained at approximately 4:30 p.m. Investigators found two cigarette butts near the ignition site of this second fire, and DNA analysis of those cigarette butts connected them to Edwards. In addition, a single set of shoe impressions from the Upper Fire’s origin area led back to a hiking trail that connects to Echo Peak. The tread and size of the shoe prints matched the shoes that Edward was wearing when he was arrested on July 5, 2020.

The Lake Fire

At approximately 12:07 p.m., another large plume of smoke was reported to the USFS from an individual at Fallen Leaf Campground. This third fire was near a hiking path that provides access to the Pacific Crest Trail. It was in a remote location with thick brush and trees that limited access for fire response resources.

This fire, identified as the Lake Fire, was reported when it was approximately one-tenth of an acre with moderate spread from the wind and steep terrain.

Multiple witnesses hiking in the area observed Edwards running and hiking near where this third fire began. The witnesses observed Edwards smoking a cigarette and holding a cigarette lighter.

At approximately 12:51 p.m., the local woman from the first fire observed the same male individual she had come into contact with (Edwards). She saw him walking along the Pacific Crest Trail, took a photo, and contacted USFS Law Enforcement.

At approximately 2:14 p.m., El Dorado County Sheriff's Detective Damian Frisby and others in the California Highway Patrol helicopter located Edwards from the air. From the air they ordered the suspect, who was now between Angora Peak and Echo Peak, to stop and sit down and he complied. Law enforcement then landed the helicopter and approached and detained Edwards.

All fires began within less than half a mile of one another.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. The California Highway Patrol, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Science provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case.

Edwards is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Oct. 24, 2023. Edwards faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.