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2 Malibu fire suspects turn themselves in

  • Story Highlights
  • Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, Dean Allen Lavorante, 19, turn themselves in
  • Teens post bail of $240,000 and are released to their parents, official says
  • Three additional suspects -- all in their 20s -- remain in custody
  • Authorities say the men were drinking when they started the fire in a cave
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Two men suspected of setting a fire that destroyed dozens of Malibu homes last month have turned themselves in to authorities, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said Sunday.

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A firefighter works to contain a wildfire threatening homes in Malibu, California, on November 24.

Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, and Dean Allen Lavorante, 19, both of Culver City, California, posted bail of $240,000 and were released to their parents, said Deputy Sheriff Oscar R. Butao.

Their first court hearing is slated for Monday morning in Van Nuys, California.

Three other suspects -- Brian Allan Anderson, 22; Brian David Franks, 27; and William Thomas Coppock, 23, remain in custody.

Authorities said the men -- all of whom are from the Los Angeles area -- were drinking in a popular party spot in a cave at Malibu State Park when they started the fire. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said investigators traced the fire to the cave, then used receipts and surveillance camera footage from a nearby store to track down the men.

All five face felony charges of unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in great bodily injury, unlawfully causing a fire that affected an inhabited structure and arson during a state of emergency.

Each count carries a sentence of two to four years in prison.

Anderson, Franks and Coppock are expected to enter pleas December 21 in a Van Nuys courtroom.

The fire, which started November 24 in the park destroyed 53 homes and forced about 15,000 people to evacuate.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the wake of the blaze. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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