Man who started wildfire guilty of murder

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A jury found Rickie Fowler guilty Wednesday of murdering five people who had heart attacks after he started a blaze that ballooned into a massive wildfire.

Jurors found Fowler, 30, guilty of setting a fire in the foothills above San Bernardino in 2003 that burned for nine days and hit 1,000 buildings. Prosecutors charged him in the deaths of five men who died of heart attacks after their homes burned to the ground or as they rushed to evacuate. Fowler also was convicted of two counts of arson.

Witnesses reported seeing a passenger in a white van, apparently Fowler, tossing burning objects into dry brush. -- AP