Arson suspect arrested in Northern California admits to other fires, Cal Fire says
Authorities arrested a man suspected of starting a fire Tuesday afternoon in a remote area of Butte County, and Cal Fire officials said the suspect might be linked to other fires over several years.
Carlos Yanez was arrested on suspicion of arson to property, arson to grasslands and arson during a declared state of emergency, according to a news release from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Cal Fire Capt. John Gaddie told The Sacramento Bee that one of Yanez’s arson charges included the enhancement for allegedly starting a fire while California is under a declared state of emergency in response to the coronavirus spread. Gaddie said the enhancement alleges that state authorities were pulled away from efforts responding to the coronavirus threat to deal with the fire on Tuesday.
About 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol reported a fire in the town of Oregon Gulch in Butte County. Firefighters arrived in the area and found a flames had engulfed a trailer on the property at the south end of View Lane, a few miles west of Lake Oroville.
The flames had spread to the surrounding vegetation. Cal Fire officials said firefighters found Yanez, 32, sleeping next to an quad ATV near where the fire started. The ATV tires appeared to match the fresh tire marks seen at the fire origin area.
Authorities arrested Yanez after he was briefly questioned, and he made spontaneous statements. Cal Fire officials said Yanez admitted to starting Tuesday’s fire, and Yanez also claimed he started additional fires over the years. Cal Fire was investigating Yanez’s statements.
