The Novato police and fire agencies are investigating a dozen suspicious fires that have occurred in the area of state Highway 37 and U.S. Highway 101 during the past 24 hours, a police lieutenant said.
Ten vegetation fires and two at residences in the crossroads area of Novato occurred between early Thursday morning and this morning, Lt. Oliver Collins said.
The vegetation fires were in undeveloped areas between housing sites. A fire in an unlocked garage on Trinity Drive and on the front door of a residence on Rockport Way occurred between midnight and 3 a.m. today, Collins said.
A Trinity Drive resident was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation after he tried to extinguish the car fire in the unlocked garage, Collins said.
Collins said investigators are not ready to link the fires but their close proximity in time and distance suggests they were the work of an arsonist.
"They were so quick that firefighters dealing with one then had to deal with another," Collins said.
Local
The Novato Police Department and the Novato Fire Protection District are adding personnel and urging residents to be vigilant because fire conditions are very dangerous right now, Collins said.
Investigators mapping the origin and spread of suspected arson fire in Novato. 11 fires set this morning. NBC BayArea pic.twitter.com/BY5IEEtZMY — Mark Matthews (@MarkMatthewsNBC) May 16, 2014
Arson investigators searching for clues at one of nearly a dozen small fires set this morning pic.twitter.com/W7Ux8fSPvt — Mark Matthews (@MarkMatthewsNBC) May 16, 2014
