Man accused of sparking Chula Vista 7-Eleven fire that severely burned 2 employees

A man has been arrested in connection to a fire at a 7-Eleven in Chula Vista that seriously injured two employees on Saturday morning, police said.

Officers responded to the blaze at the convenience store located at 899 Broadway just after 8 a.m., according to the Chula Vista Police Department.

As three officers started making their way into the smoke-filled store, a woman with severe burns walked out, CVPD Sgt. Anthony Molina said.

Police say they heard another person inside, leading them to go into the building and help pull out a second woman who was unable to move on her own due to serious burn injuries.

Fire crews later extinguished the fire. Molina said no customers were in the store at the time, and no other people were found inside.

Both victims, identified as 7-Eleven employees, were taken to a nearby hospital, police said. By 6 p.m., one of them was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, while the other woman had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, CVPD said in a news release.

Police said arson investigators from the Chula Vista Fire Department and CVPD detectives were investigating due to the suspicious nature of the incident.

Based on initial findings, a man entered the convenience store and was believed to have used a flammable liquid to ignite the blaze before leaving in a car, Molina said. Investigators entered the suspect's license plate into a criminal database as a felony vehicle.

Chula Vista resident Jose Carlos Villanueva, 47, was taken into custody after his BMW sedan was located at a gas station in Redlands, California — about 100 miles north of Chula Vista — through an Automated License Plate Reader notification at about 2 p.m.

He was taken back to Chula Vista for processing.

While Villanueva's relationship to the store and its employees is still being investigated, police believe at least one of the victims knows him and that this was not a random act, Molina said.

If you have any information, contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers and 888-580-8477 or submit anonymous tips online or through the P3tips mobile application.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information arrives.