Man Arrested for Allegedly Starting Deadly Fires in Aguanga

AGUANGA, Calif. (CNS) - A 48-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly starting separate fires that proved deadly in a travel trailer and storage yard at a mobile home resort and campground in Aguanga, authorities said today.

The blazes were reported shortly before 4:45 p.m. Monday in the Jojoba Hills RV Resort in the 45100 block of Highway 79, near Rainbow Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Multiple engine crews were sent to the location and encountered flames raging in a travel trailer, as well as a storage yard on the west end of the facility, extending into vegetation on a hillside. The flames were moving at a very slow rate for lack of wind, enabling crews to quickly encircle the fires with the aid of a Cal Fire water-dropping helicopter, which made a series of drops that proved effective, according to officials at the scene.  

Both blazes were completely contained shortly before 6 p.m.   

Homicide investigators continued to look into the fires Tuesday morning after a person was found dead, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Deputies from the sheriff's Hemet station then received a report of a suspicious person close to the location, the department said.

Arriving deputies contacted a local resident who had been identified as having potential involvement in the fires, according to the statement. The department said "information was developed that led to'' the man's arrest but did not elaborate on what that information was.

Following his arrest at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the suspect was held on $1 million bail at Murrieta's Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of homicide and additional arson-related charges, according to inmate records and the department.

The identity of the victim was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Although the investigation was ongoing, sheriff's officials said they were not seeking other suspects. Anyone with additional information was encouraged to contact Investigator T. Gilbert with the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-1777 or Investigator R. Martinez with the Hemet station at 951-791-3400.