Father, son charged with starting wildfire plead not guilty

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A father and son charged with starting a massive California wildfire earlier this year pleaded not guilty in court Friday. The 32-year-old son, Travis Shane Smith, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of illegal conversion or manufacture of a machine gun. He and 66-year-old David Scott Smith both pleaded not guilty to a charge of being in possession of a silencer. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s office says the men recklessly started the Caldor Fire, which destroyed 1,000 homes and buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to flee Lake Tahoe communities. The criminal complaints did not explain how the weapons charges are related to the fire.