Arson suspect Ruben Montes arrested near Eaton fire

Californian police arrested a man on suspicion of arson on Sunday after firefighters saw him lighting fires about 12 miles south east of the Eaton fire—the largest blaze in the Los Angeles area as of Monday morning.

Ruben Montes, 29, of Baldwin Park, was detained and arrested after firefighters responding about 12:30 p.m. local time to a small brush fire in Irwindale, near Rivergrade Road and the 605 Freeway.

“While on scene, LACOFD personnel observed a suspect actively lighting fires in the area,” Irwindale Police Department wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Eaton has destroyed more than 7,000 structures, according to latest Cal Fire estimates.

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