Arson San Diego County

A psychologically disturbed teenager accused of killing five members of his family in 1996 and then setting fire to his grandparents' condominium to cover up the crime pleaded guilty Wednesday. Joshua Bradley Jenkins, who was 15 when the killings occurred, pleaded guilty to murdering his grandparents, parents and 10-year-old sister.

A jury has decided that Steven Santos Robles Jr. started six fires last summer in northern San Diego County. But it couldn't agree that the former firefighter intended to level seven homes in a blaze he admitted setting one hot day last August. The difference, officials said, is that Robles could spend about two decades in state prison rather than the rest of his life.

A jury has decided that Steven Santos Robles Jr. started six fires last summer in northern San Diego County. But it couldn't agree that the former firefighter intended to level seven homes in a blaze he admitted setting one hot day last August. The difference, officials said, is that Robles could spend about two decades in state prison rather than the rest of his life.

A 21-year-old former volunteer firefighter was arraigned Wednesday on seven felony counts of arson, stemming from brush fires in rural parts of northern San Diego County. Among the fires that Steven Robles Jr. of Escondido is suspecting of starting was an Aug. 1 blaze that burned 457 acres and destroyed 11 homes and several vehicles in the Lake Wohlford area. Robles, who pleaded not guilty, is being held in lieu of $5-million bail.

Investigators found five bodies in what appeared to be an arson blaze that erupted Saturday at a condominium in a gated community. "Five people are dead and there were three separate incidents of fire set in the residence," said San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Jerry Lipscomb. The blaze erupted on Bronze Way in Vista, about 40 miles northeast of San Diego. The cause of the 4 p.m. fire was under investigation. The bodies were not immediately identified.

A 21-year-old former volunteer firefighter was arraigned Wednesday on seven felony counts of arson, stemming from brush fires in rural parts of northern San Diego County. Among the fires that Steven Robles Jr. of Escondido is suspecting of starting was an Aug. 1 blaze that burned 457 acres and destroyed 11 homes and several vehicles in the Lake Wohlford area. Robles, who pleaded not guilty, is being held in lieu of $5-million bail.

Searing heat and tricky winds forced firefighters Monday to forgo their campaign to contain a big blaze burning on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County and concentrate instead on salvaging rural homes that stood in the wildfire's path. By sundown, the two-day fire, burning 60 miles north of San Diego on the southwestern slope of Palomar Mountain, had claimed three ranch houses and burned more than 7,500 acres of rugged brushland.

A stubborn fire on the dry slopes of Palomar Mountain continued to burn Tuesday as 1,245 firefighters, many of them from out of state, battled to contain the 9,000-acre blaze that has swept into inaccessible canyons and timberland not touched by fire in more than 100 years. Rob Bruggema, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry, said the fire, which began Saturday at about 3 p.m., was about 40% contained Tuesday.

The starting point for Monday's tragic San Diego firestorm is an idyllic settlement of several hundred families, where residents--many of them refugees from faceless suburban tracts--have worked hard to create a sense of community.

A fire early Monday in a Spring Valley school has been blamed on arson, a San Diego County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. Spring Valley and other East County firefighters contained the blaze at the Kempton Street Elementary School, which began at 4:30 a.m., to the nurses' office, sheriff's investigator Paul Bledsoe said. Then, he said, firefighters called sheriff's deputies, suspecting a burglary.

A psychologically disturbed teenager accused of killing five members of his family in 1996 and then setting fire to his grandparents' condominium to cover up the crime pleaded guilty Wednesday. Joshua Bradley Jenkins, who was 15 when the killings occurred, pleaded guilty to murdering his grandparents, parents and 10-year-old sister.

The starting point for Monday's tragic San Diego firestorm is an idyllic settlement of several hundred families, where residents--many of them refugees from faceless suburban tracts--have worked hard to create a sense of community.

Investigators found five bodies in what appeared to be an arson blaze that erupted Saturday at a condominium in a gated community. "Five people are dead and there were three separate incidents of fire set in the residence," said San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Jerry Lipscomb. The blaze erupted on Bronze Way in Vista, about 40 miles northeast of San Diego. The cause of the 4 p.m. fire was under investigation. The bodies were not immediately identified.

A stubborn fire on the dry slopes of Palomar Mountain continued to burn Tuesday as 1,245 firefighters, many of them from out of state, battled to contain the 9,000-acre blaze that has swept into inaccessible canyons and timberland not touched by fire in more than 100 years. Rob Bruggema, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry, said the fire, which began Saturday at about 3 p.m., was about 40% contained Tuesday.

Searing heat and tricky winds forced firefighters Monday to forgo their campaign to contain a big blaze burning on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County and concentrate instead on salvaging rural homes that stood in the wildfire's path. By sundown, the two-day fire, burning 60 miles north of San Diego on the southwestern slope of Palomar Mountain, had claimed three ranch houses and burned more than 7,500 acres of rugged brushland.

These are the major fires in California and their status as of Wednesday. Where losses are not listed, they are undetermined. Where causes are not listed, they remain under investigation. UNCONTROLLED FIRES San Bernardino County, Pipe's Canyon, Morongo Valley. 1,500 acres. Structures threatened. Started Wednesday. San Bernardino County, Jurupa Hills, north of Fontana. 100 acres. Started Wednesday. San Diego County, Lakeside. 200 acres. Started Wednesday, 70% contained. Loss: some outbuildings.