Richmond man arrested in fatal suspicious house fire

A man has been arrested following a suspicious house fire in Richmond, California, that resulted in the deaths of a 47-year-old man and his 5-year-old grandson.

Emergency crews were initially dispatched to a separate fire at 231 15th St. around 8 p.m. Tuesday. While managing that scene, firefighters discovered a second blaze at 239 15th St. Four family members—a man, his 33-year-old daughter, and two young children—were found unconscious inside the second residence. The grandfather died at the scene, and the 5-year-old boy later succumbed to his injuries. The woman and her 2-year-old daughter remain in critical condition.

Police arrested 32-year-old Sergio Rivera Vega, a relative who lived in the home, in connection with the incident. Vega was spotted behind police tape at the scene and has been booked on two counts of murder and two counts of arson causing injury. His bail is set at $2.5 million.

While the second fire is being investigated as a homicide, authorities noted that the first fire occurring two doors away is also being investigated as arson, though it involves a different suspect and is considered unrelated to the fatal blaze.