Firefighters killed in Porterville fire identified; 13-year-olds booked on manslaughter

Two 13-year-old boys were in custody Wednesday on manslaughter and other charges in the massive fire that destroyed the Porterville library and killed two firefighters.

The firefighters killed in the Tuesday night blaze were identified Wednesday as Capt. Ramon “Ray” Figueroa, 35, and Patrick Jones, 25. Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux earlier confirmed in a social media post that two firefighters were killed in the blaze.

Porterville police confirmed that they believe the fire was intentionally set by the teens from Porterville. They were booked into the Juvenile Detention facility.

A spokesman said that immediately after the fire erupted, officials received information that two young teens were seen running from the area. They were later taken into custody. In addition to the manslaughter charges, they face charges of arson and conspiracy.

Police said no additional information would be immediately released.

Figueroa started his career with Porterville City Fire in 2007; Jones in 2017.

The library was built in 1953 and was in need of repairs and upgrades, including a fire reporting system, according to city officials.

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Firefighters killed in Porterville fire identified; 13-year-olds booked on manslaughter."