On Saturday, an arson suspect was arrested after numerous brush fires were reported, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.
CMPD police officers, along with a Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue crew, responded at about 4:30pm to the Santa Ana River Trail near Moon Park after several residents called to report separate small fires.
The fire department was on scene when a firefighter reported that they saw a possible suspect coming out of a smoky bush.
At around that time, more small brush fires were reported across the riverbed on the Huntington Beach side, which prompted a Huntington Beach Fire Department crew to respond to the scene.
One of the CMPD officers nearby located the man fitting the description and safely apprehended the suspect.
Additional officers arrived shortly thereafter as well as the Costa Mesa firefighter who positively identified the suspect, a 50-year-old man from Santa Ana. He was promptly arrested for arson.
In total, fire personnel extinguished 11 separate fires along the trail in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.
The quick response on this from Fire and Police personnel, as well as Dispatch and the callers reporting pertinent information, made this arrest possible and stopped the spread of the fires. Luckily, no one was injured and no structural damage was located.