RivCo Good Samaritans Halt Arson Fire Set In Banning Amid State Of Emergency, 1 Arrested

BANNING, CA — A puff of smoke and burning flames were sighted off I-10 and the Banning Scales Wednesday in an arson event where one man was arrested. The small blaze was extinguished quickly by good Samaritans who witnessed the event and called authorities for help, Patch was told.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Investigators arrested the man thought to be responsible, spokesperson Maggie De La Rosa told Patch.

Edgar Minasyan, 40 of Los Angeles, was due to appear in court Friday morning to answer multiple felony arson charges, according to jail records. He was held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $60,000 bail.

Around 1 p.m., firefighters responded to a spot fire ignited near I-10 and the Banning Weigh Station, she said. Cal Fire law enforcement quickly determined the fire was arson-caused and, three hours later, had linked Minasyan to igniting the blaze.

Witnesses to the blaze captured both the suspect igniting the fire, and Cal Fire firefighters working the scene to halt the spread amid gusting winds.

Arsonist caught in Cabazon ,CA
A driver noticed an individual starting a fire off Johnson lane . He notified CHP and along with other motorist extinguished the fire . Arsonist was apprehended and Cal Fire investigation is lead .
First Footage is from Good Samaritan shared to me pic.twitter.com/Nv5zHVL3Zm
— Local_Informant01 (@LInformant01) January 8, 2025

A witness to the spot fire told Patch that they noticed an individual starting a fire off Johnson Lane in Banning. He notified CHP, and other motorists helped extinguish the fire "by throwing dirt on it," according to the video shared over X, formerly Twitter. Cal Fire firefighters mopped up the scene, halting any spread of this arson-attempted blaze.

"The suspect was arrested and transported to a correctional facility where he was being held on felony counts of arson on forest land, arson during a state of emergency," De La Rosa said.