Fifth firefighter dies after California inferno
Source: Reuters
(Updates with arrest) LOS ANGELES, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The California wildfire that killed four firefighters last week claimed a fifth victim who was critically burned in the tragedy, officials near Los Angeles said on Tuesday. Separately, law enforcement officials said they arrested a 37-year-old man described as "a person of interest" in the fire, which is considered to be arson. Investigators have said they plan to bring murder charges against the culprits, and a $500,000 reward has yielded hundreds of tips. The latest victim was Pablo Cerda, a 23-year-old U.S. Forest Service firefighter, who died on Tuesday afternoon, five days after being hospitalized with burns over 90 percent of his body. He and his colleagues were engulfed by flames last Thursday in the Esperanza fire near Palm Springs, about 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles. It was the worst tragedy to befall the Forest Service in a single wildfire since 1994, when 14 firefighters were killed in Colorado. The California fire blackened an area nearly three times the size of Manhattan, but is now fully contained. Meanwhile, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said it arrested Raymond Oyler on Tuesday for two counts of arson in June. He is "not a suspect" in the Esperanza fire, but is "a person of interest," according to a statement. Officials declined further comment. Cerda, described as a quiet man who liked soccer, died at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center burn unit in Colton, about 50 miles (80 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. Also killed in the blaze were Mark Loutzenhiser, 43; Jason McKay, 27; Jess McLean, also 27; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20.
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