Man arrested for allegedly setting Richmond house fire that killed 3 relatives
Richmond police update on suspicious fire that killed adult, child
An adult and a child were killed in a suspicious house fire in Richmond on Tuesday night that left another adult and child severely injured. Police gave an update on the investigation around 12:30 p.m.
RICHMOND, Calif. - A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly setting a fire at his Richmond home, killing his father, his sister, and 5-year-old nephew while severely injuring his 2-year-old niece.
Richmond homes on fire
What we know:
The Richmond Fire Department was sent at about 8 p.m. Tuesday to the first home at 231 15th St. on reports of a fire.
Firefighters were able to get the first fire out in about 45 minutes. But while they were cleaning up, they noticed a fire at another house just one door down at 239 15th St. They quickly shifted their efforts to the second house.
Authorities found a family of four – two children and two adults – unconscious inside the second home.
One of the adults died at the scene, and one of the children died at a hospital. They were identified by police as the suspect's 5-year-old nephew and his 47-year-old father, though their names were not officially released. A family member subsequently told KTVU the 5-year-old's name was Andrew.
Anselmo Rivera said the suspect is his nephew and that he suffers from mental health issues.
Later Wednesday evening, family members said that the adult woman, the suspect's 33-year-old sister, Maria, also died. Both she and the suspect's 2-year-old niece, Joline, were initially hospitalized in critical condition. Family members said Maria was the mother to both of the children.
The exact nature of the injuries of the first two victims who died were not known, though Richmond police Lt. Joseph England said at a Wednesday press conference "they did pass away because of the fire."
Police have not yet officially confirmed the death of the children's mother.
Suspect arrested
Dig deeper:
While investigating the fires, authorities identified 32-year-old Sergio Rivera Vega as the suspect who allegedly intentionally set the blaze at the second home, and also discovered he was a relative who lived at the home with the victims.
Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons (right) and Capt. Matt Stonebraker, who is holding a photo of Sergio Rivera Vega, the suspect in a deadly fire that occurred in a Richmond neighborhood on Aug. 18, 2026.
Suspect is family member of victims
The backstory:
Police identified the two children as his niece and nephew, while the injured woman, who later died, was his sister and the dead man was Vega's father.
"As our detectives were on scene, one of our detectives saw the suspect standing behind our yellow tape, at the scene," England said.
Vega was arrested and booked into jail on two counts of murder and two counts of arson causing injury, and his bail was set at $2.5 million.
Police said no other suspects were believed to be involved in the fire at the second home. England said detectives are looking into any previous calls that may have been placed at the home in order to establish a possible motive for the alleged arson.
Police said the two fires were unrelated to one another, though added the first fire is also being treated as an arson investigation. A woman was arrested in that fire, which caused no injuries.
Sergio Rivera Vega, 32, suspected in house fires set on Aug. 18, 2026 in Richmond, Calif.
The Source: Richmond Fire Department, Richmond Police Department, family members of the victims