Suspect in Ortega Highway Fires Might Be Linked to Others in State
Orange County fire officials are trying to determine if the man they believe set a series of small fires Friday night on Ortega Highway is linked to a rash of similar roadside fires across the state.
At least six small fires were set at turnout locations about 10:30 p.m. Friday, said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority. The fires were discovered along Ortega Highway from La Pata Avenue to the Riverside County line.
Although none of the fires spread beyond 10 feet, Brown said a similar small fire ignited the devastating 1993 Laguna Beach fire, which burned 14,000 acres and 400 homes.
“We are taking this very seriously,” Brown said. “This is a bad time of year. It’s fire season and that’s a fire-prone area. The brush is extremely combustible.”
Brown said that because of a rash of roadside fires in fire-prone areas across the state, local officials are sharing information with the California Department of Forestry.
The man authorities are looking for is described as white and in his 30s. He was driving a late-model, white or gray Chevrolet four-door sedan with California license plates.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Orange County Fire Authority’s investigation division at (714) 744-0507.
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