California blaze claims 5th firefighter

A firefighter who was the lone survivor of a five-man U.S. Forest Service crew that was overtaken by flames while fighting a Southern California wildfire last week has died.

Pablo Cerda, 23, died at 5:08 p.m. Tuesday, said Jeanne Wade Evans, forest supervisor for the San Bernardino National Forest.

"Today, more sadness is added to our almost unbearable grief," she said.

The news of Cerda's death came as authorities announced the arrest of a "person of interest" in connection with the wildfire.

Cerda had been in critical condition since the incident Thursday. Doctors said he suffered burns over 90 percent of his body. In addition, said Dev Gnanadev, medical director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Cerda had a "very severe inhalation injury."

"I saw both Mark and Pablo as they came in," he said. "The initial thought process was that neither was going to make it beyond a couple of hours. My team did a tremendous job in getting Pablo this far. He was a tremendous fighter."

Gnanadev was referring to Engine Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, who died at Arrowhead on Thursday.

The other firefighters who died were Jason McKay, 27; Engine Operator Jess McLean, 27; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20.

Gnanadev said hospital officials met with Cerda's family on Tuesday and asked them to decide whether Cerda should undergo further surgeries to remove his remaining burned skin knowing that his prognosis was "very, very poor ... they decided to let Pablo go."

Cerda was on life support, and hospital officials slowed down the drugs that were supporting his cardiac functions, although he remained on a ventilator, he said. "We followed the family's wishes."

Cerda had sustained a very severe burn to his vocal cords and epiglottis, he said, and even if he had somehow survived "we weren't even sure what kind of quality of life he was going to have."

Cerda's crew, U.S. Forest Service Engine Crew 57, was assigned to the San Jacinto Ranger District and was fighting the Esperanza fire, which began Thursday near Cabazon, California, west of Palm Springs, and spread quickly to the south and west. The crew was trying to protect a house when the wind shifted suddenly and it was overcome by flames.

The 40,200-acre fire was 100 percent contained as of Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. All evacuation orders were canceled and 300 firefighters were sent home, leaving about 1,700 on the scene.

The blaze destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings, mainly in the Twin Pines and Poppet Flats areas, which had been under mandatory evacuations.

All five fallen firefighters will be honored at a memorial service Sunday, Evans said.

She said Cerda's family wanted to thank those who had kept him in their hearts and prayers.

"His family and the other families of these firefighters have suffered greatly during this tragic time," she said. "All of us on the forest service and those of us in the fire service deeply mourn the loss of these brave men. In my mind, there's no greater calling than to help those in need."

'Person of interest' arrested

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said it has arrested a "person of interest" in the deadly Southern California wildfire.

Raymond Lee Oyler, 37, a resident of Beaumont, California, was charged on Tuesday afternoon with "two counts of arson in wild land fires" from a June 2006 wildfire in the Banning Pass area, a sheriff's department statement said.

"Oyler is not a suspect in the 'Esperanza Fire,' but is a person of interest," the statement said. "Investigators interviewed the suspect on Friday, October 27, 2006, and a search warrant was served on his residence on Monday, October 30, 2006."

Authorities have said the cause of the fire was arson. A reward totaling $500,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for setting the blaze.