Authorities say a man intentionally set two small fires along Highway 4 near Concord before fleeing into a nearby neighborhood.
The fires, which each burned less than an acre of grassland, were reported shortly after 8:15 a.m. Sunday along Highway 4 near Willow Pass Road, said Chris Bachman, assistant chief of Contra Costa Fire Protection District. Firefighters were able to douse the flames within 20 minutes.
A parishioner at a nearby church saw a man lighting the fires and called 911, Bachman said. The man then fled into a nearby neighborhood when Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene.
Anyone with information about the fires can call arson investigators at 866-502-7766.
The two blazes happened within minutes of a third fire along Highway 4.
The third fire appears to have started when a cooking fire in a homeless encampment got out of control near Bailey Road, Bachman said. That blaze, which also burned less than an acre, was quickly extinguished by firefighters. No one was injured in any of the fires.
Source: www.mercurynews.com