Santa Clara RV Fire Leads to Arson Arrest, Investigators Say

A Eugene man is facing a first-degree arson charge after an RV on the 3700 block of Scenic Drive burned Saturday in the Santa Clara neighborhood, with flames intense enough to threaten an adjacent house, fire and law enforcement officials said.

Ryan David Ingles, 41, of Eugene is in custody at the Lane County Jail as of March 24. The Lane County Sheriff's Office made the arrest following an initial investigation into the blaze, though no details about the evidence or circumstances of the arrest have been released.

Eugene-Springfield Fire crews were first to arrive after reports of a large vehicle fire on Scenic Drive. What they found was severe: an RV fully engulfed, with flames pressing toward a neighboring home. Lane Fire Authority units then moved in to take over operations from the initial response.

"Lane Fire Authority Engine 11 and C115 arrived, took over the scene from Ladder 11 with ESF and the fire is extinguished, and it is in overhaul stages right now," Megan Jozwiak of Lane Fire Authority said at the scene. Overhaul, the methodical process of checking for hidden hotspots and preventing rekindling, indicated crews had knocked down the main body of fire before the multi-agency handoff was complete.

No injuries to residents, bystanders, or firefighters were reported in connection with the incident. The extent of structural damage to the threatened house has not been disclosed by responding agencies.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Lane County Sheriff's Office said it is continuing to examine the fire's origin, and no additional details about what led investigators to pursue a first-degree arson charge against Ingles have been made public. First-degree arson in Oregon involves intentionally damaging property by fire under circumstances that create a danger to human life, a charge that carries serious felony penalties.

The 3700 block of Scenic Drive sits in the Santa Clara area north of the main Eugene city core, a largely residential stretch where an RV fire of this scale drew a multi-unit response across two fire agencies and the county sheriff's office. Investigators have not said whether additional suspects are being sought.