A Calimesa man has been arrested in connection with a brush fire in Riverside County that killed two people and destroyed dozens of homes in 2019, authorities said. Antonio Ornelas-Velazquez, 38, was arrested Saturday and charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawfully causing a fire resulting in great bodily injury, according to a spokesperson with the Riverside County district attorney’s office. The fast-moving Sandalwood fire erupted on Oct. 10, 2019, after the driver of a garbage truck dumped a “hot load” — a pile of burning trash — along the side of 7th Street near dried-out vegetation, Capt. Hannah Labelle, 61, and Lois Arvickson, 89, could not outrun the flames that overcame the community and ultimately destroyed 74 structures. Antonio Ornelas-Velazquez was charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawfully causing a fire resulting in great bodily injury.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 16, 2021 18:22 UTC