New arson arrest made in California as authorities investigate fires
26/10/2007 16:45
Another man was arrested on suspicion of arson in California as
authorities were investigating into some of the wildfires that have been
devastating large areas in the state for five days, officials said
yesterday.
Los Angeles police said they have taken Catalino Pineda, 41, into
custody Wednesday after local residents reported that he light a fire and walked
away from a hillside in a suburb area.
The arrest was made a day after law
enforcement officers shot dead an arson suspect and detained another in San
Bernardino, about 100 kilometers east of Los Angeles.
Californian authorities
and local FBI offices were jointly investigating at least two of the dozen
wildfires in Southern California, where at least 1,500 homes had been destroyed
and more half a million people displaced since Sunday.
President George W.
Bush was in California yesterday to tour the fire-ravaged region, champion
already exhausted firefighters and comfort tens of thousands people still
staying in evacuation centers.
Bush earlier on Wednesday declared the seven
counties in Southern California a major disaster area, paving the way for fire
victims to receive federal relief assistance.
Xinhua
|
