Arsonist Raymond Oyler, Responsible for Esperanza Fire, Receives Death Sentence; Five Firefighters from Engine 57 Lost Their Lives in 2006 Blaze
June 5, 2009 by Catherine Sandstrom
Filed under Current News, Fire/Safety, Government, San Bernardino National Forest
Arsonist Raymond Oyler, an auto mechanic from Riverside, received a death sentence today.
On October 26, 2006, five U.S. Forest Service firefighters from the San Jacinto Ranger District lost their lives in battling the Esperanza Fire when their apparatus, Engine 57, was overrun by flames. The individual responsible for setting the fire, Raymond Oyler, who had earlier been convicted of five counts of first-degree murder, was today (June 5) given the death sentence by Riverside County Judge Charles Morgan. The Forest Service firefighting crew members of Engine 57 who lost their lives in the line of duty are Captain Mark Loutzenhiser and Firefighters Jason McKay, Jess McLean, Daniel Hoover Najera and Pablo Cerda.
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- Firefighters Test Readiness For Fire Season
After graduating from BBHS, Catherine moved to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University. In her 20 years off the mountain, most recently in Manhattan Beach, Catherine's career has included publishing, broadcasting, public relations and public education; she served as KBHR's News Director from April 2007 to July 2010.
