11-1-2006
Man arrested for Calif. arson fires
BEAUMONT, Calif. - Authorities arrested a man Tuesday who is suspected of intentionally starting two wildfires this summer and is considered a person of interest in a blaze started last week that killed five firefighters.
Raymond Lee Oyler, 37, of Beaumont was arrested on two counts of arson related to wildfires in June, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Oyler was not named as a suspect in the wildfire that started last week and roared across more than 60 square miles.
Four U.S. Forest Service firefighters died shortly after the blaze began Thursday when flames overran them as they tried to protect homes in the area. A fifth firefighter died Tuesday evening.
Investigators interviewed Oyler on Friday and then searched his home on Monday, the sheriff's department said. No other details were released.
Firefighter Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley died at 5:08 p.m. at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, after his family decided to take him off life support following extensive surgery last week to remove damaged skin.
"He was a great fighter," said Dr. Dev Gnanadev, who spoke to reporters outside the hospital. "In the end we did talk to the family and gave them an option of taking him to the operating room again for further surgeries, knowing his prognosis is very, very poor, and they decided to let Pablo go."
A group of U.S. Forest Service firefighters attended the evening news conference, with tears in their eyes.
"I felt the faith and hope for Pablo's recovery and actually felt a miracle might be possible," said Jeanne Wade Evans, the San Bernardino National Forest supervisor. "Today more sadness is added to our almost unbearable grief."
Cerda was burned over 90 percent of his body Thursday as he and the crew of Engine 57 tried to protect a home from wind-driven flames in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County, 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Three other crew members died at the scene and Cerda's captain died soon after at a hospital.
The fifth death made it the greatest loss of firefighters in a single incident while battling a wildfire since 14 were killed in July 1994 near Glenwood Springs, Colo., according to the National Interagency Fire Center statistics.
Cerda was in just his second year of fighting fires for the Forest Service. He had planned to begin studying to become a paramedic.
The other victims were the engine captain, Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, of Idyllwild; Jason McKay, 27, of Apple Valley; Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto.
"All of us from the forest and all those from the fire service deeply mourn the loss of these brave men. In my mind there's no greater calling than to help those in need," Evans said.
As part of the investigation, authorities said they sifted through hundreds of tips and interviewed previously convicted arsonists who live in the Cabazon area. Assisting in the investigation were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The reward for information leading to an arrest topped $500,000.
The blaze started early Thursday and scorched 40,200 acres, or more than 60 square miles, of forest and brush before being fully contained Monday. It destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings. A portion of Highway 243 in the fire area remained under indefinite closure for repair of the two-lane road.
Firefighting costs reached $9.9 million, the California Department of Forestry said.
Authorities said the fire was deliberately set at the base of a slope in Cabazon, west of Palm Springs, as fierce Santa Ana winds hit Southern California. Residents said they saw two young men leaving the area where the fire began.
At the crime scene, investigators had planted blue, red and yellow flags attached to wire stakes in the ground to mark the location of possible evidence. Part of the hillside was marked by a grid made of pegs and string.
A public memorial service for the dead firefighters was scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore. Individual firefighter funerals will be private, officials said.
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Prayers to all 5 of the Firefighters family, friends and fellow firefighters
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