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REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A lost hunter who started a forest fire in northern California while trying to keep warm has been ordered to pay more than $18 million dollars in restitution. The fire in the Mendocino National Forest burned more than 6,000 acres and cost $33 million dollars to suppress. The restitution covers the U.S. Forest Service's cost of fighting the fire and restoring the burned area. Prosecutors say 26-year-old Jason Hoskey lit a campfire when he got lost hunting on Sept. 27, 2003. The fire spread after he fell asleep. Flames had been banned in the area because of extreme fire danger. Prosecutors say Hoskey also violated the ban by smoking several cigarettes.
Hoskey pleaded no contest in September to a federal misdemeanor. Hoskey is also banned from the Mendocino National Forest for five years. | 
