The fire was reported just after 3 p.m. Sunday in the area of Old Idyllwild Road and Sherlion Drive, where fire crews reported the fire burning at a moderate rate of spread, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, the blaze was 0 percent contained.

“The fire continues to burn at a moderate rate in medium to heavy brush. Four night-flying helicopters and hundreds of firefighters will continue working throughout the night on containing the fire,” Cal Fire announced in a 10 p.m. status report.

Evacuation orders were issued for areas east of Highland Springs Avenue, west of Old Cabazon Road, north of Poppet Flat Divide Truck Trail and south of the Redlands (10) Freeway.

Evacuation warnings were also in place for regions east of Bergamo Avenue, west of South San Gorgonio (243) Avenue, north of Poppet Flats Trail and south of Highland Springs Avenue.

A care and reception site was set up in Hemet High School at 41701, E.
Stetson Ave., in Hemet, and an animal shelter was at 581 S. Grand Ave., in
San Jacinto.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

The post Banning Fire Map: See Wolf Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

“We conclude that the cumulative effect of these assumed errors does not warrant a reversal (of the death sentence),” according to the unanimous seven-judge decision. “We conclude the defendant is not entitled to relief on appeal.”

Raymond Lee Oyler, now 55, began waging his legal battles in the state appellate court system soon after his conviction in March 2009 of five counts of first-degree murder and more than 30 counts of arson and possession of incendiary devices, along with special circumstance allegations of perpetrating murder by arson and taking multiple lives.

The same four-man, eight-woman jury that found him guilty recommended capital punishment, with which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Morgan concurred.

The “Esperanza Fire” set by Oyler just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2006, near the intersection of Esperanza Avenue and Almond Way amid a Santa Ana windstorm decimated the crew of U.S. Forest Service Engine 57, which had deployed to protect an outlying property on a hillside. Capt. Mark Allen Loutzenhiser, 43, and firefighters Pablo Cerda, 24, Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, Jason Robert McKay, 27, and Jess Edward McLean, 27, were killed.

Along with Esperanza, Oyler had lit at least two dozen other blazes from May to October 2006. However, none of those resulted in significant property damage. The Esperanza blaze consumed roughly 41,000 acres, destroying 39 homes and other buildings, as well as killing a large amount of livestock. The fire also damaged a highway before it was stopped four days later. The cost of firefighting and property destruction totaled roughly $100 million.

Oyler’s appeal focused on virtually every facet of his trial, challenging the fact he was not granted a change of venue due to publicity potentially prejudicing proceedings locally, the fact his trial judge was switched less than a year before the case went to a jury, the nature of prospective jurors’ responses to questionnaires, the qualifications of his lead attorney, inadequate evaluation of defense evidence and the prosecution’s use of autopsy photos.

“We find the evidence sufficient to support all of the defendant’s convictions,” the Supreme Court stated in its 162-page decision.

At its peak, the Esperanza wildfire traveled at 30 mph, with flames as high as 70 feet, burning at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

McKay, McLean and Hoover-Najera died within minutes of the fiery tidal wave crashing into them as they scrambled to establish defensive positions on Gorgonio View Road in Twin Pines, where they had deployed to protect a house with a pool from which the men intended to draw water.

The engine crew was alone, with county and other USFS crews remaining a safe distance from the flame wall, which trial evidence showed gained speed in an uphill “chimney” effect as it blew toward the victims.

Loutzenhiser, who like his men had been gravely burned and suffered from “inhalation of superheated air,” clung to life for several hours after being transported off the hillside. Cerda, whose body was 90% scorched and swollen to twice its normal size, was kept on life-support for five days, during which he was able to acknowledge the presence of others, according to testimony. Family members ultimately decided to remove him from support.

A pathologist who examined McLean’s remains found them to be in the worst condition.

“His entire body was charred with fourth-degree burns, and the intensity of the fire caused his bones to fracture and his torso to expand, causing his internal organs to come out,” according to the Supreme Court’s citation of trial court testimony.

The man who prosecuted Oyler, now-District Attorney Mike Hestrin, described him at the time as “obsessed with fire and a fascination with starting a fire and watching it burn.”

“The enormous loss of what happened is something I carry with me,” Hestrin told City News Service on the 15th anniversary of the blaze. “It was a tough case for the community and the families involved. Those five lives were cut short. I still think about the fact that those firemen went up into that inferno, and everybody else was going down to get away. It’s such a symbol of how they were protectors.”

Testimony showed Oyler had developed a technique of creating so-called “layover” incendiary devices, binding stick and paper matches together with rubber bands, affixing debris to them, then flinging them into brushy places to trigger fires.

Hestrin said Oyler wanted to “see that mountain burn” when he lit the Esperanza blaze.

“You can go back and find the incendiary device left there by Ray Oyler, and it leads to the death of those men — directly,” Hestin told jurors.

As of April, Oyler was one of 588 inmates on Death Row at San Quentin State Prison.

The post Esperanza Arsonist’s Plea To Leave Death Row Heard By CA Supreme Court appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The “Shirleon Fire” was reported at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Old Banning Idyllwild Road and Shirleon Drive, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

According to the agency, 10 engine and four hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames burning at a slow rate to the east.

Throughout Tuesday night and most of Wednesday, firefighters worked to establish containment lines and close gaps.

No Cal Fire air tankers or helicopters were requested.

The fire was centered in terrain at the foot of the San Bernardino National Forest, and firefighters overcame challenges to fully encircle the brusher by 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to officials.

No injuries were reported in connection with the blaze, which did not impact private property.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The post ‘Shirleon Fire’ That Burned In Banning Remains Under Investigation appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

BANNING, CA — A 98-year-old Banning man who was attacked and killed inside his home last month was formally identified Tuesday as Earnest Collins.

“Mr. Collins was a long-time Banning resident, who was known and loved by several people in his community,” Banning police said.

Collins was found unresponsive around 2:38 p.m. April 19 at his home in the 500 block of N. Allen Street. No arrests have been announced in the case and police say they are looking for tips.

“We thank the public for their assistance in bringing justice to Mr. Collins, his family, and friends,” the Banning Police Department said.

According to an obituary for Collins, he was born on Jan. 5, 1926, in Foreman, Arkansas, to Clay Collins Sr. and Caroline Johnson Collins.

He went on to be drafted by the U.S. Army in 1946 and received an honorable discharge. He married his first wife, Vera Odessa Collins, and together they had three children: Allen James Collins, Johnnie Earl Collins, and Jimmy Ray Collins, the obituary states.

From 1959 to 1979, Collins worked at a cotton mill in Calipatria.

“He was such a great people person that he quickly advanced to night shift foreman,” according to the obituary.

Following his retirement from the mill, Collins married his second wife, Lucille Sullivan.

Collins was preceded in death by both of his wives and two of his sons, Allen James and Jimmy Ray.

He is survived by sons Johnnie Earl of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Bobbie Lee Collins of Phoenix, Arizona, and eight grandchildren — Jason Anthony Collins, Michelle Lavette Collins, Dione Lamar Collins, Datrice Lanette Collins, Deandra Renae Collins, Dorian Ray Collins, Allen James Collins, Jr. and Lorraine Denise Collins — several great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Anyone with information about the killing is asked to contact the Banning Police Detective Bureau at 951-922-3170.

The post Beloved 98-Year-Old RivCo Man Killed In His Home, Police Seek Tips appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Banning Police Department and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control conducted the May 3 operation using a decoy who was under age 21.

Standing outside of a retail store, the decoy asked patrons to buy alcohol as undercover law enforcement watched. The minor indicated they were underage and unable to purchase alcohol, according to Banning police.

Two people fell for the trap during the sting that law enforcement calls a “shoulder tap” operation.

The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service, according to Banning police.

“We conduct these operations to keep alcohol out of the hands of our youth,” said ABC
Director Joseph McCullough. “By preventing underage drinking we can increase the
quality of life in our communities and reduce DUIs.”

This operation was funded by ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program and the California
Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA.

The post Banning Sting Targets People Who Buy Booze For Minors appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.