Screengrab from 10News
Police have detained a man suspected of setting up to 8 fires in Ocean Beach between 11pm Thursday to about 6am Friday morning, July 13.
One fire caused the evacuation of an apartment complex.
SDFD Capt. Cory Beckwith told the media Fire Department crews responded to 8 different fires – all clearly intentionally set from about midnight to about 6 a.m. Friday. The fires were in plastic trash cans, dumpsters and at least one car. Most fires were set in trash bins pulled up next to a car.
And law enforcement may have caught a man red-handed as reportedly he was seen in the process of starting a fire on Long Branch Avenue and was then detained.
About two fires were set in dumpsters and one convertible was set on fire from the inside.
Screengrab from 7SanDiego.
The first fire was an area on Bacon Street, near W. Point Loma Boulevard around 11pm – and Firefighters responded to a trash can fire burning near a vehicle in an alley.
Another one broke out about 12:30 a.m near Pat’s Liquor at the intersection of Abbott and Voltaire streets.
As they were extinguishing that one, firefighters noticed smoke from another rubbish fire burning at W. Point Loma Boulevard and Muir Avenue.
After dealing with that one and having departed, Firefighters were called back at about 3 a.m. for another series of fires, with one being in a trash can on nearby Voltaire Street. Firefighters were called back again around 5:30 Friday morning.
A fire burning a trash can and fence — was reported in front of a home on W. Point Loma Boulevard, just before 6 a.m.
As fire crews and police investigated the fires, it was then a man who appeared to be in the process of starting a fire was seen on Long Branch and Spray Street and detained.
OB resident John Tschirgi was quoted as saying:
“Someone had pushed recycling bins next to [our car] and stuffed a bunch of stuff in the exhaust pipe and tried to light that.”
It was that fire that forced the apartment complex evacuation. Tschirgi said:
“We were asleep and not thinking too clearly and thought it was a car peeling off and cops chasing, and shortly thereafter we had a knock on our door from our neighbor saying to come down.”
Beckwith had said:
“Anytime you have multiple fires like that you know its incendiary and suspicious.”
Police investigators are now trying to determine if the man detained was responsible for the fires.
No injuries were reported.
Sources:
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