Arrest made in wildfire arson

For The Madera Tribune

Madera County Sheriffs and Cal Fire respond to a vegetation fire in Madera County. An arrest was made in the suspect who started the fire that caused about $300,000 in damages.

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The Madera County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with Cal Fire’s Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit, has arrested a suspect for intentionally starting a wildfire that scorched 40 acres and caused an estimated $300,000 in damages earlier this week.

Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, deputies and fire crews responded to reports of a vegetation fire near Raymond Road and Avenue 28 1/4. 

Witnesses informed deputies that a male suspect was seen deliberately lighting multiple fires along the Fresno River. The suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Hilario Vargas Martinez, fled on foot, but was apprehended by deputies approximately a mile from the scene.