Man Charged with Arson, Attempted Murder in De Luz House Fire

Criminal charges were filed Thursday against a Temecula man suspected of intentionally setting a De Luz home on fire Oct. 23.

Ronnie Duvall James, 55, has been charged with one felony count of arson, two felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of burglary and one felony count of making a false insurance claim, according to Riverside County court records.

He is also accused of taking or destroying property in connection with the blaze at the home in the 26700 block of Camino Seco, in the hills just west of Temecula.

James, whose aliases include Ron James and Ronnie Dall, was arrested by California Department of Forestry personnel at 11:33 p.m. the night of the fire, according to jail records.

It took 25 firefighters a short while to contain the blaze, which was reported about five hours before James' arrest.

The damages—estimated at $150,000—to the two-story home were limited to one bedroom, fire officials said at the time.

No one was injured in the blaze, authorities said.

However, two people were inside the home at the time, according to a report published Thursday by The Press-Enterprise.

James posted $50,000 bail the day after his arrest, jail records showed.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Dec. 20 at Southwest Justice Center.