Fremont police are stepping up patrols in the Warm Springs neighborhood, where they say a serial arsonist has set 15 fires in the past three months.
All the fires have burned either bushes or garbage, and no homes have been hit so far, police said. But the very thought of the arsonist changing his targets has residents frightened.
The fires have been set on either side of Warm Springs Road from Hackamore Lane to Mayten Way, police said. The most recent fire was last weekend.
Police said the consistency, location and frequency of the fires point to arson. They said almost all of the fires have been set on weekends from Saturday evening into Sunday morning and Sunday evening into Monday morning. Ten of the fires have been set between the hours of 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. One neighbor saw the aftermath of last weekend's fire.
"That is scary because I was driving, and I saw the burned tree," resident Irfan Mohammad said. "It's amazing. How could people do that?"
Investigators know when the fires start but have no description of the arsonist.
Fremont police and fire departments are working together on the case, both stepping up efforts. And neighbors are prepared to help with an online Neighborhood Watch.
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Investigators have no motive and no description and are looking to the public for help.
