A California garbage truck driver was arrested in connection with the 2019 Sandalwood fire, which killed two people and burned more than 1,000 acres, officials said.
Antonio Ornelas-Velazquez was taken into custody on Saturday by peacekeepers from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
He was charged with two counts of manslaughter and one charge of illegally causing a fire that causes major bodily injury.
Ornelas-Velazquez is accused of lighting the deadly fire after dumping a burning load of garbage near the dry vegetation, the Riverside County Fire Department said in a tweet.
“The fire spread from the burning garbage heap to the dry vegetation, resulting in the death of two civilians, 72 destroyed structures, 16 damaged structures and burning more than 1,000 hectares of vegetation,” said the firefighters.
According to an arrest report, two different drivers warned Ornelas-Velazquez that throwing trash on fire was a fire hazard. Authorities said he ignored the warnings and dumped the trash, causing a bush fire to start.
The strong winds then pushed the flames toward a trailer park, the report said.
The fire was contained in October 2019.
Both victims were discovered at Villa Calimesa’s Mobile Home Park. One was identified by the authorities as Lois Arvikson, 89.
Arvikson’s son told reporters he was on the phone with his mother as she prepared to leave her home when the line dropped suddenly, according to NBC Los Angeles.
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The other victim was identified as Hannah Labelle, 61, according to The Desert Sun. Kaitlin Campbell, a family friend, told the newspaper that Labelle was “frantically” trying to fight the fire with a garden hose as the flames rose from behind your home.
“A witness said that they [saw] she goes into her home after being unable to fight the fire, never to be seen again, “said Campbell.
Authorities found her body inside her home and later declared her dead, The Desert Sun reported.
