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, Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley, died Tuesday.
Jeanne Wade Evans, the San Bernardino National Forest supervisor, announced Cerda’s death said at a news conference outside the hospital in Colton. A tearful group of Forest Service firefighters stood behind her.
“I felt the faith and hope for Pablo’s recovery and actually felt a miracle might be possible,” she said. “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 about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Three other crew members died at the scene, and Cerda’s captain died soon after at a hospital.
Cerda underwent extensive removal of damaged skin in an operation Friday but was given a poor prognosis.
Dr. Dev Gnanadev said Cerda’s family was given the option of returning him to the operating room, but “they decided to let Pablo go.” He was taken off life support.
Authorities said the fire was deliberately set early Thursday at the base of a slope in Cabazon, west of Palm Springs, as fierce winds blew through the region. Before firefighters contained it Monday, the blaze scorched 40,200 acres and destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings.
Residents said they saw two young men leaving the area where the fire began. Dozens of investigators from federal, state and local agencies were sifting through hundreds of leads, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokeswoman Susan Raichel said. The reward for information leading to an arrest had grown to $550,000.
