California
Two arrested in connection to separate California wildfires
Two arrested in connection to California wildfires
CalFire is battling 20 fires have been across California, with the high temperatures more may be on the way. Two people were arrested on suspicion of sparking fires while attempting to clear away brush, one with a lawnmower, and one with a weed whacker. KTVU’s Tom Vacar reports from Sunol.
Alameda County, California – This is looking to be one of our most fiery years because the fuel is as dry as dry can be. Example: at 11:15 Monday morning, a wildfire, called the Tesla fire, still under investigation, broke out in that high hills above De Valle Regional Park. Though it quickly grew to ten acres, got a full wildfire response from the air and land, stopping its progress.
It became the nineteenth active fire on Cal Fire’s list. “If you start wildfire, there can be repercussions for that,” said
Jason Clay, a Cal Fire Public Information Officer.
Last week, says Cal Fire’s Public Information Officer Jason Clay, its law enforcement division arrested two people, rich for starting wildfires while clearing grasses and brush. One man, using a weed whacker, started the 16-acre Adams Fire, in Lower Lake County on July 3rd. He has been charged with three misdemeanors.
Another man started the 11-acre Pocket Fire while using a riding mower, July 6th, north of Geyserville. That man is facing three misdemeanors and one felony. :When you’re doing that defensible space work during, a Red Flag Warning, in the heat of the day you know, that becomes a case in point where that could be just irresponsible,” said Cal Fire’s Clay.
Most folks think so long as you do mowing, weeding and creating defensible space before 10 AM, they are doing it wildfire safe. Not true.
Besides the time of day there are two other critical weather conditions to know and observe. “A safe area where you can kind of look at to guage can I do this or can I not do this would be if temperatures is if it’s below 80 degrees and the relative humidity is above 30 percent,” said Clay.
In the case of the Lower Lake Adams fire, the weed whack was done at 3 pm in 105 degrees weather in 10% humidity. In the case of the Geyserville Pocket Fire, it was after 11 AM in 99 degree weather with just 22 percent humidity. “They were not done with the parameters we gave to do it safely,” said the Cal Fire Public Information Officer. As of 10 AM Monday, Cal Fire reported that there were 18 active wildfires burning in California. More are sure to come.
A Tesla driver infamous for a series of road rage attacks caught on camera in Southern California has been sentenced to seven years in prison after he was convicted in a similar case in Hawaii.
Videos from 2023 that went viral show a pipe-wielding man getting out of his Tesla and striking vehicles on Southern California roads.
Nathanial Radimak was arrested early that year for a series of attacks, was convicted in two road rage incidents and served time behind bars in California. Now he’s headed to prison again in Hawaii for a similar attack.
-
Tesla road rage driver Nathaniel Radimak is pictured in a Hawaii courtroom. (Obtained by KTLA) -
Two of Radmark’s Los Angeles-area victims reacted to the 40-year-old’s seven-year prison sentence, longer than even the prosecution requested.
“I feel that justice has finally been served,” said victim Beth Lamprecht during a press conference Tuesday.
“For years, there were pleas to keep this dangerous individual from hurting others. While those warnings went unheeded, today we finally have accountability,” she continued.
Those victims and attorney Gloria Allred argued that Radimak should not have been free in the first place.
He was sentenced to five years in prison in Los Angeles County and released after a year, according to the Department of Corrections.
Allred said he received credit for time served while awaiting sentencing and good behavior.
There are reports that Allred raised on Tuesday that Radimak was released early from California custody because of overcrowding.
He committed this latest attack in Hawaii while still on parole.
“It highlights a painful reality, one’s individual criminal behavior can impact communities across multiple cities and multiple states,” victim Vivian Romero said.
In the Hawaii attack, which was caught on camera, Radimak was seen zipping past a mother and 18-year-old daughter trying to parallel park.
The daughter yelled “slow down” out of concern. The suspect was then seen turning around, approaching their car, punching the 18-year-old and, when mom Diane Ung gets out furious, he punches her in the eye.
He pleaded no contest to two assault charges.
“For the first time in a long time, we all can breathe a little easier knowing that he will have time he needs in a space away from the general public,” Lamprecht said.
At the sentencing hearing in Hawaii, Radimak said he regrets the assault there and takes accountability and said he needs treatment. His attorney argued he has a long history of undiagnosed schizophrenia and other mental illnesses and struggled with side effects from his medications.
KTLA has reached out to the Department of Corrections and the Los Angeles County District Attorney to see if they will try to extradite Radimak for parole violation.
Evacuations amid California chemical leak leave residents anxious
A damaged chemical tank in a California neighborhood forced evacuations, leaving residents anxious as officials work to prevent a disaster.
The worst threats from a damaged chemical tank in Southern California have passed, with authorities saying a major explosion was no longer imminent, but evacuations are still in place amid continued risks on May 26.
The damaged tank prompted tens of thousands of evacuations near Garden Grove, California, in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, starting on May 21. The tank, which stores a toxic industrial chemical, overheated and caused pressure to build up.
Officials have previously said the crisis would lead to a catastrophic explosion or a spill of the roughly 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate at the GKN Aerospace manufacturing facility.
By May 25, they were more optimistic.
“The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved,” said TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, in a news conference the evening of May 25.
The potential for the most serious crisis was averted after officials discovered a crack in the tank, which relieved significant pressure and the likelihood of a BLEVE, or a “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.” The evacuation zone was reduced on May 25, but still covered about 16,000 residents, the fire authority said.
“Residents have been displaced from their homes, businesses have been impacted, and I am relieved that many of you will be able to return home,” Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said. “Garden Grove will get through this together.”
President Donald Trump, on May 25, signed an emergency declaration at the federal level.
Thousands of residents can go back home after explosion risk mitigated
Tens of thousands of residents were removed from the evacuation zone as of the evening of May 25.
As people return to their homes, the Environmental Protection Agency said it was conducting air quality tests, which so far were in the clear for harmful exposure to residents, federal on-scene coordinator Chris Myers said.
Many who evacuated have been staying at shelters set up to house the displaced, and some slept in tents or in their cars nearby. They spent their Memorial Day holiday away from home. At Freedom Hall, a structure at Miles Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley, Michael Friedman told the USA TODAY Network he was tired and frustrated after evacuating from his home on May 22.
“Everyone’s doing their best,” Friedman said. “They really are, but it’s like it’s not like being at home.”
Nancy O’Leary, who lives in a senior facility in Garden Grove, slept near Friedman at the shelter. Despite the situation, O’Leary was thankful for how helpful she said others were.
“Oh, you have no idea the friends you make in here,” she said. “Sticking together. It’s wonderful.”
The risk is not over. What happens next?
Officials said the residents under the most recent evacuation orders live in an area still at risk from the tank. More work will need to be done before the evacuation is lifted entirely, Orange County Fire Authority incident commander Craig Covey said.
Teams are checking the temperature of the tank every 30 minutes, hoping to confirm a downward trend that would indicate risk is lessening. In the smaller risk zone, Covey said there is still a potential for fire.
In the meantime, residents were urged not to enter the evacuation zone and to keep close watch for updates.
“Nothing is worth risking and endangering your lives by trying to go back to your home while an evacuation order is still in effect,” said Sen. Adam Schiff of California. “Don’t put your lives at risk, and don’t put the lives of first responders at risk by getting in their way.”
Contributing: Paris Barraza, Daniella Segura, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Christopher Cann, Thao Nguyen, Ani Gasparyan and Brian Day, the USA TODAY Network
California
California man charged with homicide after body found under blanket near road in Pennsylvania
A man from California is facing a list of charges, including homicide, after a body was discovered under a blanket near the shoulder of a road in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, officials said.
Ilia Romanchenko is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to online court records. The 25-year-old man from Roseville, California, was arrested on Sunday and is now awaiting his preliminary arraignment.
CBS affiliate WHP reported, citing Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, that Romanchenko was arrested out of the state and is awaiting extradition. The news outlet reported that Romanchenko is charged in connection with the discovery of the body over the weekend. Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release that the body was found on May 23 in Londonderry Township around 10 a.m. near state Route 441.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified by police, was described by police as a man with dark brown hair, facial hair and brown eyes, believed to be in his 30s to 40s. He was wearing a black Oakland Raiders shirt and is 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, state police added in the news release.
Anyone with information on the man’s identity or the case can contact troopers at the state police barracks in Harrisburg at 717-671-7500. Authorities did not release any additional information, including why Romanchenko was in Pennsylvania or how the victim died. The investigation into the man’s death continues.
-
World3 minutes agoMother, boyfriend allegedly abandoned blindfolded young sons in remote forest as part of ‘game’: reports
-
Politics9 minutes agoTexas MAGA battle ends with Middleton victory as Chip Roy falls short in AG Race
-
Health15 minutes agoOzempic-style drugs linked to major slowdown in cancer spread, new study finds
-
Sports21 minutes agoThunder push Spurs to brink with dominant Game 5 win as Wembanyama posts series-low 20 points
-
Technology27 minutes agoFTC reveals where spam calls hit hardest
-
Business33 minutes agoDonald E. Newhouse, newspaper publisher and heir to media empire, dies at 96
-
Entertainment39 minutes agoKevin Hart addresses Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke: ‘What do you want me to do? Drag him off?’
-
Lifestyle45 minutes agoHow Challenger Brands Are Seizing the Jewellery Opportunity
