Detectives identified a 43-year-old homeless woman Friday as the suspect who started a fire in a row of 14 garages in an unincorporated area near El Cajon.
Firefighters from the Heartland, San Miguel and Lakeside fire departments and deputies from the Lakeside Sheriff’s Substation were dispatched around 9:30 p.m. Thursday regarding multiple reports of a fire at an apartment complex, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The blaze in the 400 block of East Bradley Avenue took more than an hour to extinguish, said Detective Dan Wilson of the department’s Bomb/Arson Unit.
Detectives from the unit investigated the cause and origin of the fire and identified the garage where it started.
They said Mavis Williams and several other homeless persons were living in the garage where the fire broke out. Williams fled the scene before investigators returned to the location, Wilson said.
Williams is described as 5-feet, 6-inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information regarding Williams’ whereabouts was urged to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. A reward of $1,000 is being offered to the public for information leading to Williams’ arrest.
– City News Service
