It took almost a year for a grand jury to indict West Covina resident Sergio Martinez on charges of starting the massive Cedar Fire on October 25, 2003. Martinez pleaded not guilty in San Diego federal court on October 7, 2005 to charges of setting a fire on forest land and lying to investigators about how it started. The novice hunter said he became lost during a deer hunting trip south of Pine Hills near Julian and initially claimed the fire was started by a gunshot ricochet. It was later determined he set the fire on purpose as a signal fire so he could be rescued. More than 2,200 hundred homes were destroyed and 15 people killed, including a firefighter. FULL STORY: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/wildfire/who-started-the-cedar-fire-2003/509-38a35f78-7d0e-44fe-a4bc-3258c4062e01