Portland cops: Man started small brush fire with Molotov cocktail

Police said they caught up with Lopez after a witness pointed him out

A 45-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in Portland, Ore., after police said he used a Molotov cocktail to start a small brush fire along the I-205 freeway.

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The Portland Police Department said in a statement that firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and there were no structural damages. Domingo Lopez was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of reckless burning and disorderly conduct in the second degree.

Police said they caught up with Lopez after a witness pointed him out. Police said he confirmed that he lit the fire with the device.

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The alleged incident occurred while devastating fires up and down the West Coast have destroyed neighborhoods, leaving nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars, forced tens of thousands to flee and cast a shroud of smoke that has given Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, some of the worst air quality in the world.

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At least 10 people have been killed in the past week throughout Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing from other fires, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. Investigators are working to determine if more charges are warranted, according to police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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