Authorities arrested two suspects this week in connection with brush fires set in Bay Point and Antioch, fire officials said Wednesday.
The most recent arrest was made Tuesday, when Emanuel Serrano, 25, was taken into custody near two brush fires burning along Highway 4 near Evora and Willow Pass roads in Bay Point, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
The two separate blazes burned alongside a walking trail next to westbound Highway 4. When fire crews arrived, a witness pointed out a person seen starting the fires.
Investigators checked the area and spotted Serrano running through a nearby field. After searching on foot and by drone, the suspect was found hiding in brush on a nearby hill and taken into custody, fire officials said in a news release.
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Serrano, a transient, was booked into the Martinez Jail on suspicion of two counts of arson of a structure or forest land.
In a separate incident Monday, a fire investigator responded to a brush fire burning along a soundwall near Larkspur Drive and Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch. Nearby, Jason Mcgee, 27, a transient living in Antioch, who had been seen in the area of the fire, was identified as a suspect.
Fire officials said McGee admitted to lighting the fire, and a witness identified the suspect as having been seen lighting another fire the previous Friday. McGee was arrested and booked into the Martinez Jail on suspicion of two counts of arson of a structure or forest land.
Con Fire's Fire Investigation Unit asks residents to help them fight arson by calling the Arson Tip Line at 1-866-50-ARSON. Tips can be anonymous, and all tips are treated confidentially.
