Man Arrested For Allegedly Starting Fires At West Covina Wilderness Park

WEST COVINA, CA — A man has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting four separate fires between May and August at a wilderness park in West Covina, authorities said this weekend.

Christopher Joseph Ramirez, 45, was arrested Friday on four felony counts of arson involving both property and forest land, according to the West Covina Police Department. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the city's jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Ramirez was expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday at the Citrus Municipal Court, 1427 West Covina Park in West Covina, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Information Center.

Each of the fires at Galster Wilderness Park, at 1620 E. Aroma Drive, consumed several acres of land and posed a "significant threat to nearby residential areas," the WCPD reported.

"Fortunately, the West Covina Fire Department quickly contained and extinguished the fires, preventing them from spreading to and damaging nearby homes," according to a police statement.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the city's police department at 626-939-8500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

— City News Service