Captain: Suspect May Have Tried Arson

Mar 20, 11:47 AM

Current Headlines: RIVERSIDE (AP) -- A man accused of starting a raging California wildfire that killed five firefighters was likely experimenting with different arson methods as early as five months before the fatal fire, a state fire investigator said Monday.

Capt. Charlie DeHart of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection testified during a preliminary hearing for arson suspect Raymond Lee Oyler that he found the remains of cigarette- and-match devices at fires in the area as early as May 16, 2006.

Oyler, a 36-year-old auto mechanic from Banning, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of using an incendiary device and 23 counts of arson, including the deadly Esperanza Fire. Oyler was arrested Oct. 31 after a wind-whipped fire raced through the foothills near Banning.

The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether there is enough evidence against Oyler to proceed to trial.

DeHart testified that he was called to investigate nine suspected arsons in the Banning area between May 16 and July 9. He said that at some of the fires, he found a cigarette-and-match device that contained red-tipped wooden matches, called "safety matches," bundled around a Marlboro Light cigarette with rubberband or duct tape.

(c) 2007 Daily Breeze. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.