27-year-old Selma man accused of starting eight fires in a span of 30 minutes arrested
A 27-year-old Selma man accused of being a serial arsonist was arrested Friday night, according to police.
In a Friday news release from the Selma Police Department, officers identified the suspect as Owen Aguilar, who was on parole with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Aguilar was arrested for eight counts of felony arson to property and grassland, according to the release.
He was on parole for criminal threats and has a violent criminal history, according to the release.
“Aguilar started eight (8) reckless fires in the span of 30 minutes; the estimate of damages are pending,” the release says. “There were no reported injuries during the fires.”
Around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, officers first responded to reports of a fire underneath an overpass at South Highland Avenue and Highway 99, according to the release. Upon arrival, officers determined the fire had been intentionally started.
Within minutes, officers discovered a brush fire a half-block away near Highway 99 and Floral Avenue. The Selma Fire Department was called to extinguish both fires.
Minutes later, officers received a report of a dumpster fire behind a Panda Express a block east and, four minutes after that, another dumpster fire was reported near the Fit Republic Gym in an adjacent shopping center bordering Whitson Avenue.
At 7:44 p.m., officers found a third dumpster fire at the Selma Cinema, according to the release. Officers then received information about a man riding a green bicycle who was allegedly intentionally setting the fires.
As officers began a search for the suspect, a sixth fire was reported near an alleyway on the 1800 block of Stillman Street, about a block from the cinema. A shopping cart with debris was on fire, which then spread to a nearby structure storing flammable liquids.
“This was the largest fire at this point during the rash of fires reported,” the release says.
At almost 8 p.m., yet another dumpster fire was reported near Selma Fire Department, Station 54, less than a mile away on McCall and Floral Avenues. Shortly after, another dumpster fire a ½-mile south in the parking lot of the Sierra Market grocery store was reported.
Officers spoke with witnesses who described having seen a Hispanic male on a green bicycle. The suspect appeared to be holding a “blow torch,” according to the release.
Soon after, officers located Aguilar and say he confessed to having started the eight fires. Officers also found arson evidence on Aguilar at the time of his arrest, according to the release.
Police investigators are now looking into possible additional fires that Aguilar may have started the day before.
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