Chris Bosh may be a former member of the Miami Heat, but he could now be pulled into an arson trial involving last year’s deadly Palisades Fire in California.
According to court documents obtained by the California Post, an $11-million US mansion owned by the Basketball Hall of Famer was allegedly the site where the deadly blaze started after fireworks were lit on the property.
Defendant Jonathan Rinderknecht is facing a retrial on charges that he sparked the Lachman Fire — which investigators believe smouldered for days before reigniting as the Palisades Fire — on Jan. 1, 2025, by setting vegetation on fire with a lighter.
However, his lawyers deny the allegation and claim that fireworks in the area were the cause.
How is Chris Bosh involved?
The outlet reports that the defence team is seeking to introduce testimony from Michael T. Cole, a retired Cal Fire investigator who spent 18 years in its arson unit.
“Mr. Cole is expected to testify that during his 2025 investigation of the Palisades Fire he observed and documented a mark and an associated burn and smoke trail on the driveway and rear patio area of the residence at (redacted), and that, based on his training and experience, those marks are physical evidence of a launched firework,” Rinderknecht’s lawyer, Steve Haney, said in a court filing, per the outlet.
The residence in question is owned by Bosh, a former Toronto Raptors all-star who later won two NBA championships with Miami before retiring in 2019 due to blood clots.
Bosh was reportedly renting out the residence at the time of the deadly fires. It’s unclear whether he will be called to testify or whether he could face any legal issues as a result of the claims.
Prosecutors have filed their own motion in the case, seeking to disqualify Cole as a witness. They argue he has “zero qualifications, training, or experience” to link the markings to fireworks.
“His entire ‘expert’ opinion is based on six drone photographs of a brown stain on the driveway taken in either February 2025 or 2026. No up-close in-person inspection, no other testing. Six drone photographs, that’s it,” prosecutors said in court documents.