Arrest made in connection to La Habra brush fire

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Flames burn through brush on a La Habra hillside near the Fullerton border on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015.
Flames burn through brush on a La Habra hillside near the Fullerton border on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015.
KABC-KABC

LA HABRA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 56-year-old Fullerton man was arrested in connection to a brush fire in La Habra that forced evacuations earlier this week.

Though the official cause of the blaze remains under investigation, fire officials believe it started at a transient encampment in the Coyote Hills area near Gilbert Street and Castlewood Drive.

Police arrested Paul Munoz after investigators questioned him on Wednesday. He was charged with negligent causing of a fire with injuries.

The brush fire, dubbed the Risner Fire, erupted Tuesday and charred approximately 80 acres before being fully contained.

A gated community on the Los Angeles County border was threatened by the fire, and 40 homes were temporarily evacuated.

If you have further information about the fire, you're urged to contact the Fullerton Police Department at (714) 738-5336.