Fire retardant applied to Blue Cut fire (LATimes)
DEVORE – Less than a month after firefighters tamed a rabid fire in the San Bernardino County high desert areas, deputies arrested a man for possibly planning an arson attack.
Larry Missirilian, 61, of Ontario, was sitting inside a parked car on Saturday morning, trespassing on Union Pacific Railroad property, located at North Cajon Boulevard and Cleghorn Road, just off Interstate 15.
When a railroad police officer contacted San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies to assist, law enforcement conducted a search of Missirilian’s car.
Inside the car, it was discovered he had a five-gallon can of gasoline, large butane torches, lighter fluid, and new cigarette lighters underneath the driver’s seat.
According to reports, the items appeared to be set ready for immediate use.
Missirilian, it was discovered by investigators, was on active parole and was registered as a past arson criminal.
Missirilian was parked approximately 10 feet from a large dry, unburned area where last month’s Blue Cut Fire had not burned. He was arrested for arson and also for violating his arson parole terms.
Eventually, Missirilian was booked at West Valley Detention Center without incident.
Investigators are continuing their investigation, hoping that others that may know Missirilian might come forward to present additional evidence.
The area had been devastated by the fire, which started on August 16 and took over a week to contain. It burned thousands of acres in the immediate area, damaging 37,000 acres, destroyed 105 homes, over 200 other structures, including businesses, and forced 82,000 evacuations.
It affected the area known as Cajon Pass, along with the Northeastern San Gabriel Mountains and portions of the Mohave Desert.
Law enforcement agencies did not connect his arrest with the Ken Fire that burned 20 acres near Kenwood Avenue, which is located close to where deputies discovered Missirilian.
Another fire, dubbed the Pilot Fire which began on August 7, burned more than 8,000 acres in the San Bernardino Mountains, lasting for over a week.
Law enforcement has not connected Missirilian with those fires.
