As Oregon battles a deadly multi-state wildfire, a Portland man added fuel to the fire after he started at least 6 small brush fires in the city Sunday and another one early Monday.
Domingo Lopez was arrested a little after 3 a.m. Monday after police received a call that multiple fires were burning along the west side of the I-205 freeway, according to the police report. Portland Fire and Rescue managed to put out 3 of the small fires, while passerby’s put out the other three.
Press Release: Suspect Starts Six More Brush Fires, Faces Additional Charges (Photo)
Link: https://t.co/t4LhmgCYSc pic.twitter.com/148JY333Pl— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) September 14, 2020
This comes less than 24 hours after Lopez was arrested Sunday for starting a small brush fire after throwing a molotov cocktail along the I-205 freeway. Officers found Lopez in a tent near the freeway, who confirmed he lit the fire with the cocktail.
Lopez was booked Sunday with Reckless Burning and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree. He was issued another 6 counts of Reckless Burning Monday, per the police report.
The bush fires come as the state battles a multi-state wildfire that’s forcing thousands of residents in Washington, California and Oregon to flee. Nearly half a million people have fled Oregon so far as evacuation warnings remain in effect. (RELATED: Wildfires Will Become Worse Thanks To Decades-Old Liberal Policies, Says Fire Expert Who Predicted Uptick In Blazes)
The fires in Oregon have burned through at least 900,000 acres and at least a dozen people have been killed from the West Coast wildfires.
However, Lopez isn’t the only one accused of deliberately starting fires. Three law enforcement agencies in Oregon are conducting investigations into arson in respect to the Almeda Fire, which was linked to two deaths and destroyed approximately 600 homes, according to the New York Times.
The Daily Caller reached out to the Portland Fire Department but did not receive a response at the time of publication.