Monterey Police arrests Illinois man after allegedly starting two fires
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON FEB. 14, 2024 AT 3:07 PM- Monterey Police has arrested an arson suspect who allegedly started two fires on Tuesday night.
Monterey Fire responded to a fully involved dumpster fire that spread to the exterior of a nearby building on 591 Franklin Street around 11:11 p.m.
The building suffered minor damage according to firefighters. Monterey Fire said that this comes after a first fire that took place on 570 Munras Avenue at the Trader Joe's store. Monterey Police said a Trader Joe's employee did extinguish the fire.
Monterey Police identified the suspect as 59-year-old Rodney Williams of Illinois. Williams was arrested and charged with arson, drug paraphernalia and possession of meth.
Officers said Williams was booked into the Monterey County Jail and his bail was set at $20,000.
Original Story
The Monterey Fire Department is looking into the cause of a suspicious structure fire on East Franklin Street.
Firefighters said the fire happened shortly after 11 p.m. on 593 East Franklin Street. Firefighters said the fire started in a dumpster and spread to a nearby building.
Crews were able to quickly extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading further. The building suffered minor damage and no injuries were reported.
Monterey Fire added that this was the second trash fire they responded to on Tuesday night.
The cause of the fire is considered suspicious and under investigation. Monterey Fire told KION that the fire is considered suspicious since both fires were within half a mile from each other.
