A suspected California arsonist was arrested days after he allegedly started the San Bernardino Line Fire, which has burned thousands of acres of forest east of Los Angeles.

Justin Wayne Halstenberg was charged Tuesday following a San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department investigation into the wildfire that has burned more than 34,000 acres since it began last week.

“Highland Station detectives, in collaboration with Cal Fire detectives, have identified Justin Wayne Halstenberg as the suspect who started a fire in the area of ​​Baseline Road and Alpin Street in the Town of Highland on September 5, 2024, also known as the Line Fire,” the sheriff’s office said.

The 34-year-old suspect was beaten for arson of an occupied structure, arson in a wooded area and possession of flammable material, according to jail records reviewed by The Post.

He is being held in the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on $80,000 bail.

Police have not disclosed how Halstenberg allegedly caused the fire.

He is due to appear in court on September 12 at 12:30 p.m.

The Line Fire, which began around 6:33 p.m. Sept. 5, has burned 34,289 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest. The blaze was only 14 percent contained as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Fire website.

Residents along the southern shore of Big Bear Lake were told to leave the area, which is popular with fishermen, cyclists and hikers.

The fire had burned more than 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) of grass and brush, blanketing the area in a thick cloud of dark smoke.

The acrid air forced several districts in the region to close their schools through the end of the week due to safety concerns.

Three firefighters have been injured since the fire was reported Thursday, state fire officials said.

Orders have been issued to evacuate areas north and east of the fire, including the popular ski resort of Bear Bear.

Evacuation warnings were issued for communities immediately south of the national forest, including parts of the town of Highland.

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday and deployed the National Guard to assist with the evacuations.

More than 2,800 people have been deployed to battle the fire, as 65,600 buildings are threatened.

Wildfires have broken out in the Golden State, sparked by a heat wave with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius that finally ended on Wednesday.

Officials hope that cooler temperatures expected later in the week will reduce fire activity.

Just over 30 miles to the west, on the border of San Bernardino and Los Angeles County, the Bridge Fire has burned 47,000 acres.

The interprovincial fire started on September 8 and is

With postal wires