2 killed, including 5-year-old, in Richmond, California arson; relative arrested
A man and a 5-year-old child were killed and two others were critically injured in a fire that police say was intentionally set by a relative, who has been arrested. The fire happened less than an hour after another house fire at a nearby home, which is also being treated as arson, though authorities believe the two incidents are isolated.
The fires began at about 8:08 p.m. Tuesday, when Richmond firefighters were called to a home on the 200 block of 15th Street, according to Fire Chief Aaron Osorio. The first fire was brought under control shortly before 9 p.m.
Firefighters were still at the scene conducting cleanup and overhaul operations when bystanders alerted them to a second home fire two doors away.
The fire department shifted its resources to the second house and upgraded the response to a third alarm because of the size of the fire and reports of victims inside.
Firefighters found four victims in the second home and pulled them from the building. A 47-year-old man, identified by police as the suspect’s father, and a 5-year-old child died from their injuries.
A 33-year-old woman, the suspect’s sister, and a 2-year-old girl, to whom the suspect is an uncle, remain hospitalized in critical condition.
Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons said the second fire was immediately treated as suspicious because it started while emergency crews were still responding to the first fire nearby.
Police identified Sergio Rivera Vega, 32, as the person suspected of setting the second fire. A detective saw Rivera Vega standing behind police tape near the scene, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Rivera Vega was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of arson causing great bodily injury. His bail has been set at $2.5 million.
Although the homes were separated by only one property, police said the fires are isolated incidents. A separate suspect has been arrested in connection with the first fire, which remains under investigation.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
