Authorities Friday identified a woman who died in a hospital this week from injuries she suffered in a fire allegedly set by an ex-boyfriend at the South Bay convenience store where she worked.
Amanda Buchanan, 44, was pronounced dead Thursday, five days after being critically injured during the suspected arson blaze at the 7-Eleven store in the 800 block of Broadway in Chula Vista, according to police.
Patrol officers responding to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday arrived at the business to find smoke billowing out of the building and an employee outside, suffering from extensive burns, Sgt. Anthony Molina said.
Hearing a voice inside, the officers entered the burning structure to check for other victims and found Buchanan, unable to move. They carried her to safety, and paramedics took her to a trauma center along with the other injured store worker.
The surviving woman, whose name has not been released, remains hospitalized in stable condition, according to police.
“Although damage to the store and building are still being assessed, initial findings indicated the fire was intentional and that a man entered the store just prior the fire starting,” Molina said Friday. “The man was believed to have used a flammable liquid, likely gasoline, to start the fire before fleeing in a vehicle.”
About six hours later, officers who had received the car’s license plate number found it parked at a gas station in the San Bernardino County city of Redlands, with the suspect, 47-year-old Jose Carlos Villanueva of Chula Vista, inside. They arrested him without incident, Molina said.
Investigators have determined that Buchanan had dated Villanueva at one time.
“The motive for his attack is still under investigation,” the sergeant said.
