A California man is set to appear in court on Friday, facing arson charges based on allegations that he deliberately started a fire that has devastated parts of northern California.

Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, has been held in El Dorado County jail on $10 million bond, according to a report from The Associated Press. He is set to be arraigned on Friday and will be charged with forest arson and other crimes because the fire put several firefighters in series danger.

The district attorney in this case declined to provide additional details, saying that the situation is "evolving" and that more details would be available after the arraignment.

The fire that Huntsman is alleged to have started has burned nearly 120 square miles of forest east of Sacramento and has forced around 2,800 people to evacuate. Fire officials said the blaze is only 10 percent contained.

Mike McMillan, the area's fire information officer, said that the fire has burned several structure in Pollock Pines, California, including homes. Nearly 4,500 firefighters are working to combat the blaze, and it could threaten as many as 12,000 homes, The Washington Post reported.

The fire grew overnight on Thursday but had slowed from earlier in the day when it doubled in size. Higher levels of humidity helped slow its growth.

"Things are looking better as far as the fire activity and our containment," McMillan said.

Huntsman's sister, Tami Criswell, told reporters that she doesn't think her brother started the fire, adding that her brother has spent a lot of time in the forest and always was cautious with campfires.

"He's a really good guy," Criswell said. "He would never do anything intentionally to hurt anybody."

A look into Huntsman's criminal record shows a warrant out for his arrest dating back to an incident in February 2013. He also spent three years in San Quentin State Prison after a 1996 conviction of assault with a deadly weapon, on top of other charges.