YPD arrest 19-year-old man responsible for arson
UPDATE: The 19-year-old suspect is being held on a $250,000 bond.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Two apartments were destroyed by an arson fire in Yuma Wednesday morning with the suspect behind bars.
It happened at the Pepperwood Apartments on Third Avenue near 18th Street.
According to the Yuma Police Department (YPD), the fire broke out just after 5:00am. When the Yuma Fire Department (YFD) arrived, they saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the second floor.
While the firefighters put out the fire, the apartment sustained heavy fire and smoke damage. Fortunately, no one was living inside the apartment.
However, the first floor apartment sustained fire and smoke damage, and YFD declared the apartment uninhabitable. That and the other apartments' power went out.
We spoke to the owner of one apartment who shared with us what was going through his head as he escaped the fire.
"The only thing we did was just get out as quickly as we could.. save our lives that's the only thing we wanted to do," said Arturo Camberos, apartment owner.
After declaring that the fire was intentional, YFD called YPD's Investigation Unit to assist them. During the investigation, the Investigations Unit arrested and booked a 19-year-old man for Arson of an Occupied Structure.
Meanwhile the 19-year-old arson suspect made his first court appearance today.
He was booked into the Yuma County Jail on one count of arson, he will be back in court on Friday, February 10.
While YFD and YPD did not report any injuries in their investigation, YPD is encouraging anyone to help out in regards to the case.
If you have information about the case, then you can call YPD at (928) 783-4421. You can also call the 78-CRIME number at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.
