A possible arson suspect was taken into custody Wednesday morning following a bizarre scuffle near a small roadside brush fire in San Diego’s Golden Hill neighborhood, authorities said.
The initial report came in as a palm tree ablaze about 4:45 a.m. just off the B Street offramp from northbound Interstate 5, according to the California Highway Patrol and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
A 10News camera crew arrived on scene before firefighters or police and witnessed two men fighting near the flames as smoke and soot whipped around them. By the time fire crews and CHP officers arrived, one man had gained control of the other and pinned him to the ground in a head-lock maneuver. CHP officers handcuffed the pinned man when they arrived at the scene after witnesses said he was throwing fuel on the fire, 10News reported.
“He said he was trying to help put it out,” CHP Officer Tommy Doerr said. “But witnesses said he was contributing to it. Officers took him into custody, but it’s still under investigation.”
Firefighters quickly doused the small brush fire, which burned a 20- by 20-foot area of brush and caused no injuries or damage to anything besides vegetation, SDFD spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.
Investigators from the fire department’s Metro Arson Strike Team were on scene for several hours probing the cause of the blaze and the possible involvement of the detained suspect.
—City News Service