A 35-year-old transient accused of setting fire to a trailer on the western edge of Riverside Municipal Airport was charged Thursday with two counts of arson.
Christopher Ramos was arrested Tuesday following a joint investigation involving the Riverside Fire Department and Cal Fire.
Ramos, who is being held on $10,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail, is slated to make his court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to RFD Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst, shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, the defendant allegedly ignited a blaze under a trailer unhitched from a big rig parked in the 6600 block of Van Buren Boulevard, near Arlington Avenue, just outside the airport perimeter.
Several nearby businesses were exposed to the flames, and multiple engine crews were sent to knock down the fire, which was contained to the trailer and surrounding debris, Vanderhorst said.
He said arson investigators quickly uncovered evidence that the fire had been intentionally set.
Ramos was allegedly spotted leaving the location in a car after the fire erupted, and a description of the vehicle was circulated to area law enforcement agencies, according to the battalion chief.
Riverside police officers patrolling the same general area spotted the car — with Ramos in it — two days later and took him into custody without incident.
A possible motive for the alleged acts was not disclosed.
According to court records, Ramos has a prior conviction for robbery.