A 39-year-old man was charged Friday with a series of arson fires that were set within less than two weeks in Covina and Azusa.
Jose Javier Salgado is charged with a dozen counts of arson during a state of emergency, nine counts of arson of property of another and three counts of arson of a structure or forest.
The felony charges stem from a series of blazes on April 4 in Azusa and Covina, along with three fires in Covina on April 15, according to the criminal complaint.
Salgado allegedly admitted starting a fire outside a Walmart store on April 15 in which a forklift, wood pallets and cardboard were among the property burned, according to Covina police.
Two other small fires were reported around the same time at the back of a Covina mini-mall and in a trash bin at Hollenbeck Park in Covina, police said.
Salgado — who had been placed on a psychiatric hold after being arrested in connection with the April 4 fires — was again placed on a psychiatric hold following the April 15 blazes, according to police.
It was not immediately clear when he would be arraigned.
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