A man charged with starting a six-acre fire that killed an elderly woman this summer in Sage has pleaded guilty.
On Oct. 19, Juan Manuel Calderon-Ramirez, 38, pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter, causing a fire that led to great bodily injury, and burning an inhabited structure.
“Units arrived at 3:58 p.m. and reported the fire was burning in medium brush, with structures and other property involved and threatened by the fire,” according to a news release from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann.
The six-acre blaze dubbed the Taffle Fire was brought under control by about 7 p.m that night, but not before destroying one occupied mobile home, one vehicle, one storage building, and various outdoor improvements, Hagemann reported.
The area was cordoned off, and Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators were called to the scene, Hagemann stated.
Through investigation, it was determined that Calderon-Ramirez had sparked the blaze as the result of a unpermitted debris burn, according to Hagemann.
He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 7.
