On Friday, January 22, 2021, Oxnard Police and Fire Department Arson Investigators concluded a month-long investigation into a series of dumpster fires with the arrest of 46-year-old Oxnard resident Jose Bernal. In January, the Oxnard Fire Department responded to a total of 18 dumpster fires in the 1800-1900 block of San Gorgonio Avenue. No injuries were reported as a result of these fires. Once the fires were determined to be arson, the Oxnard Police Department began to investigate the fires, a felony in California. During the investigation, multiple surveillance cameras in the area were reviewed, and Bernal was identified as a suspect. On January 22, 2021, Oxnard Police Department patrol officers took Bernal into custody on unrelated charges. Oxnard Police Department Arson Investigators interviewed Bernal, who confessed to lighting multiple fires throughout the City of Oxnard, including the fires on San Gorgonio Avenue. Bernal, in the end, was arrested for the arson series.
