Man who started fire in Menifee Target gets 23 years in prison

The Lake Elsinore man accused of setting a fire in the Menifee Target store in 2023 was sentenced to 23 years in prison, authorities said.

Abel Arizmendi, 31, pled guilty to charges of arson to a structure, arson during a state of emergency; and committing a crime with a previous strike on record, according to a Cal Fire news release. On Jan. 22, 2023, Arizmendi intentionally ignited a device he had planted in a trashcan in the men’s department of Target. A fire spread quickly, resulting in an estimated $11.7 million in damage.

The “state of emergency” charge was the added because the arson occurred during a state of emergency declared by Gov. Newsom during heavy winter storms.