Man arrested on suspicion of setting fires in East Palo Alto

EAST PALO ALTO – A 26-year-old transient man was arrested on suspicion of setting fires that damaged an RV and a fence in East Palo Alto last weekend, police said.

Four separate blazes were set in the early morning hours of April 10 along a fence bordering a parking lot at 1798 Bay Road, the East Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.

Police said the lot was established by the city in partnership with Project We Hope to give people living in their vehicles a place to park and feel safe while regaining their financial independence. People were asleep inside their vehicles when the fires were set.

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District was called to the scene and quickly extinguished the flames, but not before they damaged an RV and several sections of the fence, police said.

A suspect was identified through a joint investigation by the fire district and the police department. Police said the suspect was also linked to four previous fires since last year.

On Tuesday, an officer found the suspect near the scene of the fires and arrested him. He was booked into San Mateo County jail on a felony charge of arson as well as several misdemeanor charges including possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.