Firefighter Faces Second Arson Charge

An Orange County firefighter already accused of torching his car in Riverside County has been charged with setting fire to an abandoned house in Yorba Linda nearly three years ago.

Robert Schickel Jr., 29, an eight-year veteran of the Orange County Fire Authority, is the first to be charged with arson in connection with the Aug. 7, 1993, house fire, Deputy Dist. Atty. Mike Fell said.

Two other volunteer firefighters were under investigation by the district attorney’s office in connection with the blaze but have not been charged, Fell said.

Schickel’s attorney, Ronald Brower, said his client vigorously denies setting either fire and is “astounded” by the accusations, the latest made public Thursday.

“They have a very weak to nonexistent case, and Mr. Schickel will be entering a not-guilty plea and there will be no compromise,” Brower said of the latest charge.

The firefighter remains on paid leave pending the outcome of the cases.

Schickel was charged in December by Riverside County authorities with setting his own black Trans Am on fire in 1994.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry originally thought the car fire in Moreno Valley in September 1994, which Schickel helped extinguish, was accidental and caused by an electrical failure. The case was closed.

But it was reopened in November when further physical evidence and witness accounts surfaced, leading detectives to Schickel, authorities said at the time.

Earlier this year, Orange County prosecutors said they were investigating Schickel and two others on suspicion of setting fire to an abandoned, one-story house at 4921 Valencia Ave. which was owned by the city and scheduled for demolition the next day. The first-alarm fire consumed several bedrooms and the attic.

The accusations against Schickel stunned friends and colleagues, who described him as a devoted career firefighter eager to advance his career. He was stationed at the Stanton station and worked as a volunteer at the firehouse two blocks from his home in Yorba Linda.

Orange County Fire Capt. Scott Brown said news of the arson charge was a “sad day for us.”

“This is an unfortunate situation and by no means should this be a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of the men and women of the Orange County Fire Authority who proudly serve our community,” he said.

Schickel, who is free on bail in the Riverside case, is to be arraigned on the Orange County arson charge Aug. 30 in Municipal Court in Fullerton. He is awaiting a preliminary hearing in Riverside County in the car fire case.