A 27-year-old man recently got arrested suspicion of setting eight fires in just half an hour across the city of Selma in central California. According to authorities, there were no reported injuries from the blazes.

Additionally, the Selma police said officers, responding to the incident beneath a freeway overpass, identified it had been deliberately set. Just a few minutes after another fire was reported in the brush half-a-block away.

The Fire Department of Selma received a call to extinguish both fires. Then, after the two blazes got put off, fires were again reported in fast progression in dumpsters behind establishments.

According to the report, a shopping cart containing debris got burned, and blazes spread into a building that stored flammable fluids. 

The officers were led to Owen Aguilar, a man who was then on a bicycle-the one who confessed to having started eight fires, reported Fresno Bee.

In addition, Aguilar, as reported, could face charges which include felony arson. It remained unknown over the weekend if the suspect had a lawyer.

He was reportedly "on parole for or criminal threats, not to mention having a violent criminal background." 

Meanwhile, investigators have looked into probable additional fires that Aguilar may have initiated one day before. More so, the motive has remained unknown.


The Alleged Culprit

As mentioned, witnessed led the officers to Aguilar as the culprit of the series of fires. He is the 27-year-old Selman man arrested on the evening of Friday and suspected of being a serial arsonist.

On Friday, the Selma Police Department came out with a press release saying that the officers identified the arsonist suspect as Owen Aguilar, who, as earlier mentioned, was on parole or conditional release with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Aguilar's arrest, the press release indicated, was due to the eight counts of delinquency arsons to grassland and property. Specifically, as the press release stated, Aguilar set eight uncontrolled fires in just 30 minutes. The approximate of the damage is still pending, and no injuries during the fire were reported.


Witness Reports

By 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the report said officers initially responded to calls for a fire under an overpass at Highway 99 and South Highland.

Then, upon their arrival, the same officers identified the fire had deliberately been started. Several fires more were reported at nearby areas after the first two fires were put out. The witnesses who the officers spoke with described they saw a Hispanic male riding on a green bicycle.

The alleged culprit was said to have been holding a blow torch.

Not long after, the Selma officers were able to locate Aguilar and said, the suspect admitted that he indeed started the fires.

The officers said, as stated in the press release, that they also discovered evidence of arson at the time of his arrest.

Currently, the police investigators are looking into the possibility of more fires that Aguilar may have also started the day before.


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