Suspect arrested in connection to structure fire on Nestles Road
SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION) A man in Soledad is behind bars tonight after getting booked on multiple charges relating to a fire that broke out in town Friday afternoon at an abandoned commercial building.
It all happened near the intersection of H Dela Rosa Sr Street and Nestles Road in Soledad. Firefighters say they first got a call about smoke rising behind CVS around 2:30 p.m.
The remains of the fire were still seen through a gaping hole at the bottom of the building.
"The information we'd gotten was that there was possibly an occupant inside the building and another one with possible burn injuries that was not there anymore," said Clifford Ingram, an engineer at Cal Fire Soledad.
Turns out, the two people who were in the fire's vicinity did not have any burns. But officers were directed to one of them, who ended up running behind the building and hiding from police.
Authorities ended up finding and arresting the man. He is now booked at the Monterey County Jail on multiple fire-related charges.
"Most of the fire ended up being contained to debris and belongings of transients inside of it. It's an abandoned commercial structure. So once we had knocked down on that, we were able to clean up and check on extension," said Ingram.
Greenfield and King City police assisted, with Soledad, Greenfield and CTF Fire involved as well. Fires started by transients are not uncommon in the Salinas Valley. They are usually started from cooking and some become vegetation fires.
It is something firefighters are always ready for.
"Soledad typically has that wind coming through the Salinas Valley there that can hit anywhere from 10 to 25 miles an hour every single afternoon. So when we get fires that time of the evening, they can get big fast especially if you have dry grass," said Ingram.
Firefighters tell KION there were no injuries reported. We were unable to reach Soledad police for more information on the arrest.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Soledad police say a man has been arrested in connection to a fire on Nestles Road Friday afternoon.
Police responded to the area at around 3 p.m. and found an abandoned building on fire, and officers were led to a suspect who ran towards the back of the property.
Officers chased the suspect, but eventually, they caught and arrested him. He was booked into the Monterey County Jail on several charges related to the fire.
