An O Reagan man accused of using a Molotov cocktail to start a brush blaze in a state fired from a forest fire – then fired again a few months later and six more were charged with starting again.
Domingo Lopez Jr., 45, was first arrested Sunday afternoon after witnesses told police he started the fire with a fire extinguisher made from a plastic bottle with a bowl on the grassy side of the Portland Freeway.
He confessed to initiating the blaze, which was extinguished without causing any injuries or damage to property.
Court records show Lopez Jr. was remanded in custody at 4:45 p.m. Sunday.
It was then spotted walking on the same highway at 30.0 on Monday morning, when police received reports of six more firefighters joining the fire crew, Portland police said.
This time, he appeared to start the fire lightly, which was captured as evidence, the force said.
He was taken to the hospital for a mental health assessment and was commended for an additional six counts of two reckless burnings, the bureau said.
Fortunately, all the fires “started early” and “no one was injured and no construction was burned,” police said.
Oregon has been blamed for most of the damage caused by wildfires that devastated the west coast, killing at least 10 people in Beaver State.
The suspected Molotov cocktail attack comes as officials have also denied rumors that deliberate firing has been started by terrorists linked to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
Ashland police chief Tighe O’Mira said last week that one of Anti Reagan’s worst fires was started by eye antifa, “100% misinformation.”
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