Dump truck driver who brought on wildfire that killed 2 in Calimesa will get probation

A 41-year-old former dump truck driver who brought on a lethal 1,000-acre blaze in Calimesa by deliberately dropping flaming particles from his rig in the course of a Santa Ana windstorm was placed on probation after admitting felony costs.

Antonio Ornelas Velazquez of Desert Hot Springs pleaded responsible on Tuesday, July 23, to 2 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one rely of burning an inhabited construction below a pretrial settlement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

No costs have been dropped from the unique felony grievance filed in opposition to Velazquez in trade for his admissions.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Kelly licensed the plea deal that calls for 2 years of felony probation and 6 months in a Sheriff’s Department work-release program in lieu of jail.

Kelly scheduled a victim-restitution listening to for Nov. 6 on the Riverside Hall of Justice, so Velazquez might be ordered to pay victims.

Velazquez was arrested in February 2021 following a prolonged investigation by Cal Fire peace officers and detectives from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“The Sandalwood hearth was brought on by a burning load of trash that was dumped subsequent to dry vegetation by the trash truck that Velazquez was working,” in line with a Cal Fire assertion launched on the time.

At 2 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2019, an arrest warrant says, Velazquez was on the wheel of a CR&R trash truck when a hearth broke out within the cargo maintain as he proceeded by Calimesa.

There have been fierce northeast winds blowing as a result of a Santa Ana windstorm that started that morning.

Velazquez pulled over on Sandalwood Drive, close to Seventh Street, to find out what was burning and hesitated on what actions to take, the affidavit says. A person driving a Frito Lay truck and one other motorist pulled over close to the flaming dump truck and started offering suggestions.

“The Frito Lay driver warned Velazquez a number of instances in regards to the hearth hazard offered by the excessive winds,” in line with the declaration. “The winds have been blowing instantly from the highway towards the comb wildland space. He requested Velazquez to not dump his load.”

The different motorist “prompt that Velazquez drive towards a close-by freeway overpass to dump the burning load,” the affidavit said. “Velazquez ignored the warnings and launched the burning supplies onto the bottom.”

Santa Ana winds gusting to 40 mph rapidly pushed the flames into the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park.

Hannah Labelle, 61, also referred to as James Owen McGee, and Lois Arvikson, 89, have been killed because the flames swept over their properties, leaving them no time to flee.

Seventy-two constructions have been destroyed, and one other 16 broken, in line with investigators. The blaze charred 1,011 acres earlier than it was stopped 4 days later.

Lawsuits have been filed in opposition to CR&R weeks afterward. It was unclear what number of have been resolved.